Gates town officials have put Waste Management on notice after growing complaints about missed trash pickups.
Town Supervisor Cosmo Giunta called on the refuse company to improve service by Sept. 1, or risk losing its license to operate in town next year.
“Over the past several months, the Town of Gates has received a substantial number of complaints from residents and business owners regarding missed refuse and recycling collections, delayed service, and challenges obtaining timely resolution of service-related issues,” Giunta wrote in a July 29 letter to Waste Management.
Waste Management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trash problems pile up in Rochester suburbs
The problems follow similar complaints and a lengthy public hearing about garbage collection in Irondequoit last year.
Most local towns do not operate a municipal trash collection system, but officials are responsible for licensing private companies to provide waste management service within town limits.
Andrea Wheatley said she was a 35-year customer of Waste Management until earlier this month. Over the last year, she noticed more frequent missed pickups of trash and recycling.
“Trying to get ahold of them is a nightmare,” the Gates woman said.
In May, she received another rate increase: She would owe $400 for the next three months of service. Wheatley said it was the tipping point in ending her long relationship with Waste Management. She switched to a local company, White Trash, for $397 for the first year.
Getting Waste Management to retrieve their bins was another struggle. They rescheduled two times and eventually charged Wheatley $97 for the pickup.
“I was very glad to see that our supervisor sent them a letter,” she said.
— Kayla Canne covers community safety for the Democrat and Chronicle with a focus on immigration, police accountability, government surveillance and how people are impacted by violence. Follow her on Instagram @bykaylacanne. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Waste Management warned to improve service or risk Gates license
Reporting by Kayla Canne, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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By Kayla Canne, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
