CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state’s largest waste pickup company will start making some modifications to its operations following direction from the Public Service Commission after a series of complaints about garbage collection mishaps.
The issue was brought to the attention of Kanawha County Delegate Andy Shamblin after he said he kept receiving calls from constituents in the Cross Lanes area over Waste Management of West Virginia, Inc. missing or not completing their garbage pickups and not being able to get a hold of an actual person to talk to regarding the matter.
He said that’s when he knew something must be done.
“I mean, I had dozens and dozens of complaints regarding incomplete pickups, no communication from Waste Management regarding their service,” Shamblin told MetroNews. “I had several individuals say they went in excess of three weeks without having their garbage picked up.”
He said he asked for the inquiry on March 5 and then the PSC conducted a general investigation into the refuse pickup issues with Waste Management. He said that through that investigation, the PSC received about 200 complaints against the company.
Shamblin said what the PSC essentially found is that there were serious communication issues above all else, and that communications with their customers needed some modifying.
“They’ve ordered Waste Management to establish a toll-free 1-800 number with a live customer service representative,” he said.
He said they have also been ordered to provide credits with customers who have missed more than 12 days of service, to submit a plan to the PSC explaining how they’re going to remedy missed pickups, and for the next year, to submit status reports regarding the number of missed pickups.
Additionally, the nine-page PSC order directs the company to implement a plan to track customers with service interruptions longer than five days, and not subject customers to an extra bag charge if their trash bags were left from a previous missed pick up.
Shamblin said that while the company does have a number for people to call, there’s almost no way for customers to speak with anyone, it’s an entirely automatic system.
He said a place like Cross Lanes and West Virginia as a whole, a better system with a real customer service representative to speak to is essential as this is predominately an aging population.
“So many folks don’t have the ability to get online and send an email, or a text message, or some other form of electronic communication, so I think it’s vitally important that Waste Management establish an avenue that allows folks to actually contact a human being,” he said.
The commission declined to make the order apply to all similar utilities in the state, but they do feel as though it serve as a notice to all of them for similar requirements in the future if more complaints surface against specific companies.
Shamblin wanted to add that it was never his intention to pick on or attack Waste Management, because he knows it’s an often difficult job that receives little recognition– he just wanted to address the issue at hand.
“They provide an essential service and I know they have a large area of the state, and there are areas that receive better service than I guess what Cross Lanes did, and I do concede that they had weather related difficulties this winter that complicated their pickup process, and I do appreciate the steps they’ve taken,” Shamblin said.
He said they have taken some steps already to remedy the situation such as making changes to their routes and hiring more people on.
You can find more information about the case on the state PSC website, clicking on “Case Information,” and entering the access Case No. 25-0293-MC-GI.