WARREN, Mich. – Complaints about missed and delayed trash pickups tied to Priority Waste continue to mount across Metro Detroit, leaving some neighborhoods with trash sitting curbside for days and prompting a new apology from the company.
“It looks terrible. It’s an eyesore, to be perfectly honest,” said Ayana Nichols, a resident affected by the delays.
Neighbors in several communities say the backlog is becoming more noticeable and more unpleasant, as temperatures rise.
“Like, right now, the weather is heating up. So, we can smell the trash from everybody,” said Dekoven Lynch. “It smells horrible.”
Residents say the issues aren’t limited to one type of neighborhood, with problems reported at condo communities, along residential streets, and in mobile home parks.
“The trash has been out here since Saturday,” Nichols said. “It’s a long time.”
Priority Waste published a letter of apology to customers this week, acknowledging it has not met the standards clients “expect and deserve.”
At the same time, communities including Grosse Pointe Park, Macomb Township, Wayne, Dearborn Heights, Madison Heights, Allen Park, and Royal Oak have posted public notices on social media, telling residents they are continuing to work with Priority Waste despite service issues persisting.
Priority Waste says it is already implementing changes to improve service, including:
- Purchasing 198 rental trucks
- Adding 91 automated side-load trucks
- Training/adding 28 additional drivers/crews
- Call center improvements
Customers say they mainly want reliable service and clear timelines on when routes will be fully back on schedule.
“We are not used to seeing this at all,” Lynch said.
In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, Priority Waste said it expects all communities to be current on trash and recycling collection by the end of the day Thursday, June 4, and on compost and yard waste collection by the end of the day Saturday.
“We are acutely aware of the frustration that service delays have caused for residents, communities, and customers,” the company said in part. “Missed collections and delayed service are disruptive, and we take that responsibility seriously.”
The company said it is operating “all-hands-on-deck” with leadership, operations, customer care, maintenance, and field employees focused on restoring service reliability.
Priority Waste also said it is receiving new collection vehicles daily as part of fleet stabilization efforts.
“We appreciate the patience, understanding, and partnership from the communities we serve and continue making the operational improvements necessary to deliver the level of service residents expect and deserve,” the statement said.
In the meantime, leaders in some of the communities at the center of the controversy continue urging residents to report missed pickups and delays as crews work to catch up.