MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A Monongalia County delegate says the state Public Service Commission is preparing a case involving a garbage collection for mediation.
Del. David McCormick, R-Monongalia, has been expressing concern about the service provided by Republic Services.
McCormick filed a formal complaint with the PSC after a 30-day monitoring period was extended to 60 days with little improvement overall, he said.
McCormick took to social media in June after residents in his district went for about 15 days with no service. Since he said he’s received comments and messages from other areas of the state describing the similar problems.
“I just keep getting complaints. I get stopped on the street, and I get emails, texts, and phone calls,” McCormick said. “Everybody has a story about Republic Services and the terrible service, and it’s not just residential, it’s commercial too.”
McCormick claims “trash is not picked in a consistent, timely manner” and that “customer service is poor, not local, and the operators don’t know the area.”
McCormick said he’s hopeful the mediation step at the PSC will help.
“It gets assigned a case number, and mediation will occur,” McCormick said. “I don’t have a date yet, but the mediation will be between myself and the company, and it will be mediated by an administrative law judge.”
The goal of the complaint is to improve customer service, consistent pickup, and better communication from the company, he said.
“Those usually bear some fruit, and it shouldn’t be a contentious situation,” McCormick said. “Hopefully, we can find some solutions coming out of that mediation.”
A similar complaint last year against Waste Management resulted in a nine-page report from the PSC urging the waste giant to clean up their act and improve service. The company cited severe weather in the response and also said they planned to work with the PSC moving forward to implement their recommendations.
“The delegate did the same thing I’m doing,” McCormick said. “It escalated into a statewide investigation into their service because they were all over the state and it led to some changes.”
McCormick said people that have had problems or have ongoing problems with Republic Services should contact the PSC and file a complaint. The complaints help the PSC understand the type and scope of the problems so they can take the proper action.
“I’m perfectly willing to escalate it to that level,” McCormick said. “I think some of the service has gotten better, but some has not. It certainly isn’t fixed.”
The PSC case number for the project is 26-0827-MC-FC. The full complaint can be read here.