BEREA—For the second consecutive year, the City's trash hauler has made a mess of pick-up services.

The same time last year saw The Edge report on how our local Waste Connections, based in Lily, Ky., had not let a large number of customers know about service disruptions and what would be done about them. This year, multiple customers have complained to Councilmember John Payne that they have gone weeks, sometimes months, without their trash and/or recycling being collected by the hauler. Waste Connections is a national corporation.

Lowest bidder

Waste Connections was the lowest bidder in October 2024, for City trash hauling services–about $13 per pick-up, compared with as high as $17 per pick-up. Waste Connections won the bid and now has a contract with the City through 2030. Their contract began in April last year. As part of their service, customers are provided a 95-Gallon trash bin with weekly pickup and optional 95-Gallon Recycling bin(s) with pickup every two weeks at an additional cost, according to Councilmember John Payne.

Payne told The Edge he'd recently used social media to survey residents' experiences with delayed pick-ups this month. He said he'd received 28 responses in less than a week. "The majority of complaints discussed customer service failures, missed pickups and missed follow-ups on missed pick- ups," Payne said. He added that there were those who offered praise for Waste Connections' service.

The complaints listed in the survey were the same as last year, when The Edge found it difficult to reach anyone at the company by phone. With the storm coming this weekend, it's possible service will be disrupted again, according to Payne.

Dodgy reviews

Waste Connections asks customers on their website to leave a Google Review. Currently 3.7 stars with 654 reviews as of Wednesday. "Many of the responses seem to be auto-populated thanking people for leaving a 5-star review even when they have left a 1-star review," Payne said.

The Councilmember offered The Edge a glimpse of some of the comments he'd collected. One resident complained of Waste Connections missing her original pick-up date. When the resident called, she was told the truck had broken down, but would return in four days' time to collect the trash and the recycling. It did not, according to the complaint. The resident called again and was told to bring her cans to Lily, where the vendor is located, according to the complaint.

Another survey respondent blamed the City for its role in hiring and then requiring residents to use Waste Connections. "As I understand that city residents are required by statute to contract with this service provider, overtly blending the line between private commerce and public utility, I believe the City of Berea shares equal culpability with the poor standard of service. In the vernacular, if y’all are going to make us do business with these folks, you have an obligation to protect us from their business practices."

Another respondent said, "Their customer service ladies are the most hateful women I've ever dealt with." While still another wrote that, "Dave, the gentleman who drives the recycling truck, is beloved in our neighborhood for being so friendly to people and pets." Yet another said, "I hope our complaints will land on the shoulders of management and not the good-hearted folks who are employed there."

Another complained that the hauler doesn't bother to use the app to update customers about service disruptions. Further, the complaint read, "It’s almost as if the city has guaranteed that we must remain customers no matter how badly we’re treated. It’s not as if we can cancel the service or vote them out of office."

"I’m really tired of Waste Connections and wish we had never had to switch from Waste Management. They were the absolute best and we had zero problems," wrote another survey respondent.

Although there were some complaints of no pick-up for more than five weeks, The Edge reviewed the collected complaints and saw that, on average, pick-ups are missed for three weeks straight, regardless of the number of times a resident reports it to Waste Connections, and regardless of promises made for sooner pick-up. A few complaints expressed support for the City finding another trash hauler.

Best way to contact hauler

Payne said he tested the many ways to contact the customer service department at the hauler, and recommended customers email them with their questions or complaints. "Their hours are limited and several customers have reported waiting times exceeding one hour," Payne told The Edge. "Based on my experience and those of others relayed to me, if you call on the same day your service is missed, the customer is advised that the driver cannot be contacted during their route and has until 5PM to perform the pick-up."

Waste Connections phone number is 866-428–4208.

"My advice is to wait until 5PM on the day of service and to email them (OLP6055@WCNX.org, is their customer service email account). Emails create an electronic record that might encourage a response and better accountability from customer service," Payne said. "They are also easier to share with local government (citycouncil@bereaky.gov) or media if customer service  fails. Be certain to share specifics including any emails or responses to and from Waste Connections," Payne advised residents. There is also a customer portal on the vendor's website.