Both Flagler County and Palm Coast governments are again raising serious questions continuing their contracts with Waste Pro after the garbage hauler had another bad week. A county commissioner and a city council member each autonomously raised the possibility of ending the relationship with Waste Pro, which has three years left on its current contracts. Flagler piggy-backs on Palm Coast’s contract, last renewed in 2017.
Waste Pro has been struggling on and off for the past couple of years and was summoned before each government to give accounts about recurring customer dissatisfaction, mostly centered on missed pick-ups. Palm Coast fines the company every time certain benchmarks are missed. Those monthly fines have spiked several times in the past two years.
The latest issue generated some 300 complaints in a week in Palm Coast, and an undetermined number of complaints in the county, where County Commissioner Joe Mullins said he forwarded “hundreds” of messages complaining about the service to County Administrator Jerry Cameron last week.
Waste Pro acknowledged that there’d been unusual issues last week, with unexpected “call-outs” from drivers and two trucks that broke down, but the company said the issues should be resolved.
That may not necessarily resolve the issue with the two local governments, who account for all of Waste Pro’s business in the county. The city has scheduled a meeting with Waste Pro officials next Monday.
The county commission was alerted to problems during Monday’s commission meeting when Carl Laundrie, a west-side resident who used to be the county’s public relations director, brought his own recycling-related complaint to the meeting. “Recycling out there is a hit-and-miss proposition,” he said. “I had a recycling bin out there last week. I left it out to see if they’d pick it up, they didn’t pick it up. You call there, and usually you get the answer that their truck is down.” Laundrie said if the trend continues, people will stop recycling for not wanting to be stuck with a box of refuse. “I don’t know what’s going on, but it needs to be ended. It’s not like you can’t pay because it’s deducted” from the tax bill. “It’s just not happening out there,” Laundrie said.
Cameron said Laundrie’s was not the only complaint. “We’re going to, number one, have a real sit-down with that vendor, and number two, if we can’t come to a resolution, we are probably going to have to go out for RFP to take a look at other providers,” Cameron said, referring to a request for proposals, which starts the bidding process for a new contract. He said the county might approach Flagler Beach to contract the service, and would discuss the issue with Palm Coast City Manager Matt Morton.
“I’ve gotten hundreds of messages that I’ve forwarded to Mr. Cameron about the trash service all over the county, not just in the west side,” Mullins said. “Waste Pro needs to step it up, or they need to go. Bunnell has its trash service. They do their own, and they would certainly be a good option to look into for the west side. But all over the county this should not be a problem. We’re subbing it out, the company should be providing what they’re supposed to, and it’s just too many people throughout the county are saying the same thing.”
A day later, much of those comments were echoed at the Palm Coast City Council meeting. Council member called the hauler “our favorite friend, Waste Pro,” though he meant wryly. “The phone has been ringing off the hook, or off my hip, either or,” he said. “I’m the type of guy that if I pay for a service, I expect the service to be performed, especially when it’s contractual, and if they can’t meet the obligation, then we need to start seriously looking at other options.” He said he hadn’t reviewed the current contract but surmised it should contain a penalty clause.
It does. The company had a terrible month in March 2018 and was fined $34,400, according to city records. Matters improved rapidly after that, the fines going down to $6,170 the next month, and to a few hundred dollars a month from July through September. Problems crept back up, as did fines, spiking last January to $14,510, and topping $3,000 each of the last two months. April is expected to be another spike, judging from the complaints registered with the city.
“Customer Service Manager Cynthia Schweers said we had a bad week last week,” Cindi Lane, the city’s spokesperson, said today in an email. “We received about 300 phone calls, with the biggest complaint being that they didn’t finish routes. In discussing with Waste Pro, we learned they were short-handed last week – both with managers and employees. But this week they seem to be back on-track. The number of complaints has dropped back down.”
“Sometimes we have to take drastic action and say all right, enough is enough,” Howell said. “I want to put them on note. If you can’t deliver, we’ll find somebody real quick, real soon that can deliver the service.”
Howell is over-optimistic. The garbage-hauling business is extremely competitive but not necessarily rich in haulers: when Palm Coast sought bids in 2012, just two other companies put in a bid, aside from Waste Pro, and one was quickly disqualified because of the specific requirements of the Palm Coast contract (requirements dictated by residents’ and council members’ desires). Waste Management, the largest hauler in the business, just this week acquired Ponte Vedra Beach-based Advanced Disposal Services for $4.9 billion. One of the reasons Waste Pro has built longevity locally–it’s been hauling for Palm Coast and the county since 2007–is familiarity, and a good deal of popular support as well: if the company has weathered complaints over the past two years, every story about the complaints also generates reactions from readers who praise their haulers and sympathize with the hard work.
Earlier this year, after another spate of complaints, Waste Pro pledged to add two trucks and add staff, including supervisors, and redraw its routes, cutting them shorter, to make the work more manageable and efficient. Just last week the company, in a good-will gesture of its own, treated all 400 of Palm Coast’s employees to a free lunch, catered to their work locations. But it’s continued to struggle to find garbage haulers.
“It’s been a struggle for us for some time now,” Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland said Tuesday morning at the council. “I continue to receive emails in regards to the issue. I know we have put them on notice previously.” She said the city met with Waste Pro management a few times–management that’s changed along the way, and that’s contended with various difficulties. “We have set up a job fair, working with the Center for Business Excellence in order for a way to connect those that are working for a job. They pay very well. It’s not that.”
But, the mayor told Morton, it’s time to contact Waste Pro again and let them know “we’re dissatisfied with the service they’re currently providing.”
Morton described the problems as “a big issue” and said that while there are fines being levied, “but there gets to be a point where the fines to the community are irrelevant, they would like the service to be carried out.”
Hblair says
We still have all our recycling in our driveway in the L section, it is ridiculous!!
Kelly says
Have always been happy with their service!
They are probably dealing with much, much more trash and recycling, now that short-term rentals are so prevalent.. And will get even more so, if our legislators remove all local control.
A house with 20 people generates a lot more than what used to be the average 2.76 people per household.
Carol says
So they treated Palm Coast employee’s to a free lunch. What about the residents who aren’t getting their recycle or garbage picked up? We shouldn’t have to pay for a service we aren’t receiving.
Beverly says
We just moved to the B Section, our trash wasn’t picked up so I called they picked up my neighbors but left mine We also had yard debris we cut it and had it tied I called she ask what we did I told her she said it wouldn’t be a issue. 3 weeks later it was still there I called she said it was tagged it was to much for them no guarantee when they could get it They needed a bigger truck Then I spoke to a guy who was picking up our trash he said it was him and he didn’t tag It because he was out! So we cut it really small and put into black bags it’s now gone, This Tuesday they didn’t pick up our trash but they finally got it Wednesday My question is Why do we have to pay if they don’t pick it up ? One time they missed 2 pickups I think that we should get a discount we as a city are finding them where’s the money going? Thank you
Diane Ramirez says
I don’t think the city should be allowed to accept gifts, especially from a vendor. Smells like bribery.
Stretchem says
So, what, 50,000 homes in the county? And a bad couple of weeks produced 300 complaints. Tens of thousands of dollars in fines/revenue back to the county.
Majoring in the minors here. No business or industry js perfect. Flights get cancelled or delayed. Roads get closed. Dairy Queen runs out of spritsles. Get over it and be nice ya old geezers.
JimBo says
I haven’t had any issues with Wastepro in my area of the city except once last year. Understanding that they pick up trash twice a week and anything I put out. Plus one crew that take recycles and another takes brush, leaves etc. I give them a little credit.
If you look around, a lot of companies are struggling to hire and keep staff. It is affecting a number of businesses in town and beyond. Plus turn over leads to new training etc to get staff up to speed.
The company is already getting penalties levied against it. Lets meet and see what the issues are and see if everyone can work together to resolve. The old way of working things out.
West Side person says
As a resident of the west side of the county, I can say that this bad service did not start last month or even this year. I have had to fight continually with them over missed pickups, destroyed bins and garbage cans and bad attitudes of office personnel. Where I live, the truck has to pass at a minimum of FOUR times on his/her route but somehow manages to miss us nearly every week. On one of his passes, he must stop at a stop sign directly in front of our driveway, with the bins sitting right there in front of him. I have them on speed dial, I’ve called so much and invariably get the excuse of a truck breakdown, driver out sick, new driver who doesn’t know the route, or personal emergency. It’s hard to believe these excuses when we’ve seen the trucks passing by and not stopping. Seriously, if their trucks break down every week, then maybe it’s time to buy new ones. If the driver is new, then perhaps having a experienced driver ride with him/her would be a good idea. It’s inexcusable and very irritating. I don’t want to have to call Waste Pro every single week of my life. It’s getting so we dread Mondays and Thursdays because we know we will have to make the dreaded call. They demand we have our recycling bins out by 6 a.m., then never show. And, if we call to complain or ask for them to come pick up, they punish us by throwing our bins into the middle of 305, to be smashed by logging trucks, Hollar and Green trucks or any of the other hundreds of trucks using this road. I can’t even estimate how many bins and cans we have gone through. We no longer use a garbage can because they are expensive and we are tired of replacing them. So we have to take a chance and set a bag out there and hope that they pick up before the animals get to them. Waste Mis-Management was better, even though there were problems with them too but we would prefer them to Waste Amateurs.
Joseph eberhardinger says
Ive said it before and ill say it again the city of palm coast needs its own trash department just like the city of Flagler dose. We run a very well oiled machine at flagler beach and its very rear that we miss trash and unlike waste pro we actually clean up the mess if animals get into it ..the city has the money to open its own trash department and maybe they should it have to be large and may bring in many job opportunities
Layla says
I’ve never had a problem with this company. I think they’re doing a great job. Am I the only one who feels this way?
L section neighbor says
I can say the past 4 weeks haven’t been the best for us in the l section our recycling has been missed or left behind 3 weeks in a row. I called to see if our day was changed after the 2nd week and they said it wasnt and they would send someone out to come pick it up and nothing happened.
mark101 says
People that are dissatisfied with Waste Pro, well the other waste pickup services might not be much better,. BE very careful what you wish for.
Carl Sanderson says
How about taking the Splash Pad 2 million and start PC’s own trash collection department.
Salt of the earth says
I appreciate the work these men do. It is not aways performed on time. I have patience and it always gets done. They are human not machines.
Julie says
There have been multiple times that my recycling wasn’t picked up on Monday morning and if it is left out Tuesday morning when trash is picked up then my recycling is being dumped into the trash truck. Now I’m paying to have my recycling thrown away?
Fed Up says
This is the second week in a row recycling was not picked up until the next day. They got the trash finally right and now recycling is messed up. They just can’t get it right. We need our own trash department for Palm Coast. This is getting ridiculous.
Wastepro employee says
First off we aren’t paid well. We are paid by the day doesn’t matter if your there 8 hours or 14 hours you get the same rate. They can’t keep Driver’s or helper’s because management is horrible. Our district manager was suspended for 3 days last week for god knows what. The yard is unorganized and in shambles. The basic necessities aren’t provided and if you complain it either falls upon deaf ears or your threatened with termination. Trucks aren’t safe to operate per FDOT law and the mechanics don’t fix them. They didn’t cut all the routes. Not one recycle route was made shorter….and the garbage routes haven’t improved by much. I can’t speak for wastepro as a whole company but I can say this yard is horrible! I’m looking for another job myself. It’s not like we are purposely not picking up the trash or recycle, the broken trucks and incompetent management is the reason. Yes there are a few bad apples who don’t do their job but for the most part we live in palm coast and get serviced by wastepro also…so we feel the same way other residents do about missed pickups. But if the employees aren’t getting what they need to get the job done then something needs to get done in the office.
Doug says
The 6 years we have lived in the P section we have had trouble. Lately it has gotten worse 5 out of the last 7 weeks one of the four streets in our circle has not had recycle picked up. Today the yard truck did a hit and miss thru the area. The new thing lately is they reach in our can and take the top bag of garbage and leave the rest. I find it interesting that the city fines them and keeps the money. We are the ones paying the bill we should get it rebated not the city keeping money that is not theirs..
Steadfastandloyal says
Over in the B section the guys on this route work their asses off, hot weather, rain, picking up in the dark, dealing with customers who can’t even separate garbage from recycling, throwin cardboard boxes out whole (flatten em lazy ass) and their yard waste piled 10ft long by 3ft high untied- wherever it lands it lands. Guys are really nice too- some of you bitchin wouldn’t last a half day on a route. I give them alot of credit.
Barbara Ryan says
If the city knows that this is a problem, why did I get cited by Code Enforcement? I put the trash out when I was supposed to and Waste Pro did not pick it up. I was one of those people who called the city everyday last week. Enough is enough.
really? says
If the city knows that this is a problem, why did I get cited by Code Enforcement? I put the trash out when I was supposed to and Waste Pro did not pick it up. I was one of those people who called the city everyday last week. Enough is enough.
gmath55 says
@ Layla – No you are not the only one. Here in the S – Section I have no problem with Waste Pro or the Recycle.
NOTE: If you use garbage bags you can spray the garbage bags with ammonia and it keeps birds, animals, etc. away.
Shark says
Sure – let holland and the rest of the circus act running this town, find somone that will cost twice as much and cram it down our throats like all of the other white elephants they created !!!
atilla says
I have no problem with trash pickup but the recycle is TERRIBLE. Sometimes it doesn’t get picked up and many time they’ll come the next day and throw it into a regular garbage truck that they pick up trash with. What’s the sense in recycling when I write the city they tell me that’s the way the system works and if you don’t like it don’t recycle.
John DeWitt says
Waste Pro makes you buy your own garbage cans. They are supposed to provide recycle containers but don’t have any to provide for months at a time. They may or may not show up on collection day. Yard waste sometimes doesn’t get picked up for weeks. No explanations and no apologies ever. County should run its own garbage service like Bunnell does. Bunnell has great service….
Not The City For The Answer says
For anyone that is suggesting the city of palm coast take over garbage collection….please think about what you are suggesting! Have you already forgotten about the Sheriff station debacle? Yeah lets let the city handle the garbage, recycling and lawn waste!! And as for the splash pads, many years ago (12?) there was a group called F.R.O.G.S that was given permission by the city to do renovations to Holland Park including a splash pad. All funds were donated! Last minute the city removed permission to install said changes, instead offering up another location which was not suitable. So our tax dollars were spent (wasted) just so the powers to be could get there hands in the picture!
Donna F says
I deal with Waste Pro on two levels, as a resident of the “B” section, and as an employee of an area they service. Our personal service could not be better (I agree with Steadfastandloyal above). The guys on our route near the Indian Trails athletic fields work hard, have been on time most always, extremely polite, carefully put our containers back on the ground in our yard or driveway, etc. I would not do their job for anything! Have you ever gone out and stood behind one of those trucks and smelled it? Sometimes mistakes are made or things happen beyond the control of the field crew (employees out sick, broken down trucks, etc. as explained by “Wastepro employee” above. Sure, it is frustrating. But it is the upper level management at fault. My assessment is that they are all about the bottom line profit and are not adequately staffed. Don’t take all your anger out on the field crew. They have a thankless job that most of us would not do (eww, I might get germs in my Mercedes/Beamer/Lexus …) For the past several months I have had to hand and forward resident complaints where I work. For the most part, 95% of our complaints come from about 5% of our population. Often they are valid, but sometimes they are petty (i.e. “It’s noon and they haven’t picked up yet.”) C’mon people. There are far more critical problems in the world. Wastepro needs to be held accountable for their service but some residents also need to be a little more tolerant of having their perfect schedule disrupted. Just my observation and opinion …
Agkistrodon says
There has been a number of times I have seen trucks picking up recyclables. They were dumping the bins in the back of a REGULAR garbage trucks. I am hesitant to think what is happening to that recyclable material. Then again I have been in other places where the recyclables come in the front of the recycle center and are truck out the back,………. to a landfill………
mark101 says
Regarding recycle. Deltona the largest city in Volusia county voted to stop all recycling effective Feb 1, 2019. Deltona was paying Waste Pro $77.50 per ton to process recyclables. The city of Ormond Beach eliminated glass from its recycling service — effective April 1. Maybe Palm Coast should follow suit.
gmath55 says
Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland says “We have set up a job fair, working with the Center for Business Excellence in order for a way to connect those that are working for a job. They pay very well. It’s not that.”
If you go to their web site: https://recruiting.adp.com/srccar/public/RTI.home?c=1080941&d=External-WastePro
Helper earns $115/day for 8 to 12 hour days. This equates to $14.38/hour for 8 hours to $9.58/hour for 12 hours. They pay very well? For that kind of work which most people would not do!
Now read the job details.
https://recruiting.adp.com/srccar/public/RTI.home?c=1080941&d=External-WastePro#/
Go do the job then complain!
Fuggetaboutit says
North end of C section for almost 9 years, no complaints and nothing but great service. Sanchez and Stan are our current pick up guys and they are awesome!
Shawn Meyer says
If the city is getting 34 thousand in fines it is only fair that money goes back to the residents actually paying for the trash to be removed tgat is not being removed. Its not the cities money its taxpayer money.
Doug D'Angelo says
Cut them some slack. They do a great job and always have done so. Break downs are unforeseeable and most residents of palm coast get 2 garbage pick ups a week. That’s double what you would get anywhere else.
Wastepro employee says
To answer a few people’s questions about where your recycles go….it’s goes to the dump…and is dumped with trash. That’s for 2 reasons. 1. No one is buying plastic anymore so there’s no money to be made off it, only paper and some cardboard is being reused. And 2. People do not recycle properly. If you don’t rinse your cans, milk jugs etc that is considered contaminated…which in turn contaminates the load of recycle and is refused as recycle and placed with trash. So yes recycling at this point is pointless. Other cities have done away with its recycle program. Deltona being one, Daytona no longer accepts glass or plastic only paper and cardboard.
Mondexian Mama says
The county bears some of the responsibility. I called at least four times to complain and each time got greeted by a recording and sent right to voice mail. I never heard back. I also called Waste Pro and was always given some lame excuse and was promised that a supervisor would be in touch. Never happened. meanwhile, my recyclables sat waiting six weeks to be picked up. I finally called waste pro’s regional corporate office and was assured the matter would be resolved shortly. two days later the recyclables were picked up by a garbage truck, not the recycling truck, so all my rinsing and peeling labels off cans was for naught. The mob did a much better job when they controlled the carting industry.
Worried Grandma says
Take themoney spent on homeless clean up and splash pad and buy some trucks. Hire some good drivers and the homeless from camp to load trucks. A win-win situation.
Agkistrodon says
#Wastepro Employee, Thank you for confirming my suspicion. In most places recycling is a scam Material is either sold off to other countries and they dump it in the ocean, most likely. And now with this confirmation I will no longer pout my bin out. And there should be a rebate to the county and town, for the Con Job Waste Pro has pulled.
wastepro employee says
@agkistrodon Im not the boss but what our boss told us is he went to palm coast city officials and explained that not only was waste pro loosing money, but the city was also loosing money if we kept up the recycling program…and apparently the city responded by saying ” our residents have an image of our city we want to uphold. that is being a green city” basically saying that they didnt care if it was dumped with trash as long as residents felt they were making a difference. AGAIN….i was not at this meeting so i cant say with 100% certainty that this was the conversation. As i said in my previous comment, I’m leaving that job so i could care less what happens to them. Im just letting some information be known so residents can make their own decisions and do what they feel they need to with said info.
Flagmire says
So we know recycling isn’t happening anymore. So palm Coast, please buy us some trucks equipped with hydraulic lift arms, hand out trash bins that are compatible, and hire a few more folks to run it. Bingo bango problem solved. Will the city do a great job? Could it be any worse? There’s always room for improvement.
Charlie says
New York City hires barges to haul city trash out into the ocean, sail around for three weeks , then DUMP IT in ours oceans……..TIMES UP people. Garbage, Trash, Recyclables are ALL being buried in our ground and then covered up as Golf Courses in Florida. The planet is FULL. Like our President says….America is FULL, there is NO MORE ROOM LEFT !
Keep Flagler Beautiful says
I don’t understand why everyone is piling it on against Waste Pro. They’ve done a really good job in our neighborhood, and on the few occasions that they haven’t picked up on the appointed day, a phone call to their office has resulted in a pickup without much wait time at all. Given the type of work they do (which is not easy) and the number of houses they service, I think they’re excellent.
The original woody says
They raised rates this contract so the service should be top notch but it’s not.They have been a day late on recycle day’s which I don’t care just make it that day that would be O.K.Tired of guessing.
Mr G says
flagler beach has the best garboligists in the business but don’t think you can contact them to take over palm coast never gonna happen. buy trucks & hire good men start your own city of palm coast refuse dept.
Thomas says
I have been very pleased with their performance.
West side resident says
If the county is collecting thousands of dollars in fees from Waste pro, why are we not being reimbursed this money? We are charged the garbage fee straight to our yearly tax bill without a say. So why shouldn’t we be the ones who are reimbursed those fines for a bill we have already paid and a service we do not receive?
Steve Sachs says
SHOCKED that the city accepted free lunches for their employees! Rather than accepting free lunches, the company should have been required to repay homeowners for a service they did not receive. The city kept our money for a service not rendered so they fined the company and received the fines that were imposed……WHY NOT REFUND HOMEOWNERS FOR SERVICES NOT RENDERED? The city charges us for service OFTEN not rendered……the. The city collects the fine AND KERPS OUR MONEY. Everyday I no longer receive the service, I and hopefully many other homeowners will join me in withholding payment to the city. ( just put the money in an escrow account ). If the city sues for their money, I will be more than happy to resolve all this BS by filing a class action lawsuit against the city. The city is collecting our payments, collecting the fines AND THE RESIDENTS ARE GETTING NOTHING! If you want to join me, please contact me…….I will explain to you what to do and then I WILL DO ALL THE WORK. Please, just keep a record of all the days that the service was not provided to you. The city is dragging their feet, accepting free lunches for THEIR employees and expect us to just complain. I PROMISE NO MORE COMPLAINTS, I WILL TAKE ACTION!!!!!!!!
Steve Sachs says
DONNA F: If you are among the “5%” as you claim, that is even worse because that 5% deals with most of the continued problems. You are fortunate not to be among that 5%, but don’t expect us to just ‘take it with a grain of salt and deal with it’. You are lucky you don’t have to deal with it, for those of us that do, we don’t appreciate your lack of introspect.
capt says
Well here it is 5:40 pm and the recycle is still setting at the side of the road in Marineland Acres.
So hudson says
Garbage work is hard. A lot of time management don t care. Don’t always blame the route workers they work with the equipment management assign them. I know from experience u don’t always get the best tools for the job.Usually bad service start at the top and flow to the bottom. hI’m a garbage man, it is very hard work, the guys are doing good on my street.The Fla.
Vicki L Chalkley says
Excellent service for the past 7 years! I think people should be more understanding if they have some glitches here and there. It’s really a hot, heavy, long-day job…………….basically, they do a super job; have some really nice employees and don’t need any extra stress more than they have. Maybe add a few more routes to lighten the load for the existing routes. I just had my great trash guys transferred to a harder, more intensive route. That’s what they got for being so good & efficient where they were. Give the workers a break; ask company to have a few more routes, that they will be able to overlap routes to ensure coverage for when to many call outs or break downs.
Nan W says
Three municipalities have contracts with Waste Pro, Flagler County, Palm Coast AND BeverlyBeach. We in BeverlyBeach are very unhappy with them. So much so that the town is holding a workshop about it on April 23. Hopefully they will improve or get a new company.
Dominic Austrino says
No problems here !!
TWH says
There should be some understanding to a degree if logistics fall apart on occasion however if it’s on the account of pure slackary then you have a right to bitch.
palmcoaster says
I have no complains in our street. Is hard work and very dangerous some of these young men have lost their lives or got disable lately riding these garbage haulers. I treat them with respect. Put out a Christmas card with some cash present and hand them a cool water bottle occasionally if is very warm out. Very risky job and probably not that high paid. Looks like most complains come from west PC or w and p sections. Maybe Waste Pro Management need to get their derrieres out their offices bucket seats and check those complaints and our city needs to refund those complaining customers other than keeping the fines collected from Waste Pro in the general funds to be wasted in splash parks or IT and cloud systems. Whats is up with keeping the fines?
recycled says
Friday’s recycle was missed and picked up Saturday morning. 2 weeks in a row. Let’s see what happens tomorrow. My guess with the news is it will get picked up.
Irate PCer says
For those of you whose yard, recycle and garbage is picked up regularly, lucky you!!
Since the new contract, Waste Pro’s service has deteriorated. Before the new contract and hike in fee, the service was great, rain or shine. Now, we never know if there will be a pick up or not. I have seen the workers literally skip houses. They tried to do that with my yard waste but when they saw me recording them picking my neighbor’s, they quickly picked up mine. Really??? We are not getting the service we pay for… It’s not free!!
We should get a prorated refund for the days not serviced. Why should the City sit with the fines when we are the ones paying for the service we do not get?
Free lunch for the employees of the City is called ‘Bribery’ clear and simple. With that same money Waste Pro could give their workers a bonus or incentive.
Last week our street and neighboring streets had yard, recycle and garbage out on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. All picked up by one truck on Friday evening. Same situation this week. Surprisingly the same truck on our route picked up the trash on a main street while leaving the rest of the surrounding streets. Mechanical failure? I don’t think so as the same truck was picking up on streets in a slightly different neighborhood. Tomorrow is Friday, wonder if everything will be picked up. So much for Palm Coast being a ‘clean city’ that trash is out on our streets 4 days a week.
As for you folks who don’t have a problem, maybe a supervisor or manager or employee lives in your area, so your area is taken care of.
Willy Boy says
Thank you to the workers, who do a thankless job.
capt says
Recycle got to my home 6:14 pm yesterday, and the Waste Pro guy said, I’m sorry we are running a little late today. I told him you got here and that is what counts the most. Most of the time in my area Waste Pro is about 97% in pickups on the day of the pickup. Not bad actually.
A.M. says
Today is 4/19/2019 and my recycle was thrown all over the place and the lid on my garbage was opened but my trash was still in the can. I looked up and down my street and everyone else’s was picked up. Oh and our cans when they do decide to pick up the garbage is left in the street. Also, our recycle last Friday was not picked up until Monday of this week, and they broke the lid on my garbage can. That can isn’t even 6 month’s old!!
John dolan esq. says
Waste pro has been very good in the P section for many years. Its hard to find people who want to get up early and pick up trash in the heat all day.
palmcoaster says
I do not have problems with Waste Pro.,.they do not do a perfect job but also nothing is perfect. Theirs is a very hard and risky work some lately lost their lives or became disable injured while hauling our garbage. So lets use some compassion and hope that management will go out on resolving complaints other than seat in the the a/c offices and comfy swivels.
I give them a Christmas present every year that they greatly appreciate and hand them a cool bottle of water in summer if I am out and the sun is beating hard.
Also the city should not keep their fines instead should be distributed among the customers for failed services.
Jamibad says
Waste pro is good to go in my neighborhood ! K section ! They are the same guys every week, smile at you if your outside, and normally try to get the garbage cans back to the rightful property, and as far as recyclables go, same thing, I don’t ever remember them missing us except for when we had the last hurricane. And my thoughts about recycling, Everyone should have 1 container for say…laundry detergent, when your out, just like filling your car with gas, you go to a store and refill your plastic container with laundry soap, there are many ways to contribute to help our ever growing landfills, and if recycling is being outdated, then we need to think about how to reuse the plastic We have ! Bottled water, yep, I’m guilty, just how many water bottles are in our landfills currently ? I go threw about 3 cases a week !
Before letting waste pro go, you better think, it could be worse with the next company, waste is waste, garbage is garbage, someone has to pick it up and if management is horrible, how do you expect the field workers to do their jobs ?
And I agree with those who say, if you fine them, why isn’t that money coming back to those who pay for the service? Our water bills which include garbage keep going up, but yet some aren’t getting the service they’re paying for and so they should be reimbursed !
Just my 2 cents ! Thanks !!
Agkistrodon says
BUT WHAT about the fact that the RECYCLING program is a SCAM?
snapperhead says
Why don’t they have it where you have to call in to have yard debris picked up instead of just having these guys drive around every neighborhood to find a random pile here and there. They basically drive by my house 52 weeks a year to pickup yard debris maybe 2 or 3 times. Seems very inefficient.
Concerned Citizen says
In the C and W Sections I have seen recycle set out for days after pick up. I also see code enforcement lurking around issuing citations. My 80 year old neighbor got a note on the door for her cans being missed. If the cans aren’t on the street how do they get picked up?
I have seen numerous trucks fly down residential streets. Most doing 10 to 15 over posted speed limits. And lets not even go there about stop signs/lights, Are these emergency vehicles on calls? Is trash pick up priority one? Or are they on unrealistic quotas to get routes done. Either way myself and neighbors have witnessed numerous close calls with vehicles/pedestrians.
I have done my fair share of jobs in the heat/cold. I know it isn’t fun. However you chose that line of work. You weren’t drafted. During the hiring process the job is explained. Waste Pro is under contract and is obligated to provide certain services.
We pay enough on our water bills to ensure timely pick up of trash recycle. All we are asking is to get it all picked up so we don’t get cited by code enforcement..
hawkeye says
they are not really very good , last week they left some cans on my lawn,why?, and that wasnt the first time, then , the way that they throw my garbage pail is unnacceptable , in 21 years I have had about 3 garbage pails ruined by the way they toss them around,maybe they were air baggage handlers in their last job. I am at work when they pick up so I cant say anything to them , however ,if my wife hears them coming she stands outside and thats the only time they place the trash barrel down gently, otherwise its on my neighbors yard ,middle of my yard or worse yet ,in the street to get ran over. I get it that being a garbage man is a shit job, however ,dont take it out on my trash can!
Concerned Citizen says
@ hawkeye
I’m with you on that one. Ours have ended up way down in the swale and even in a neighbors yard. I have stood there at the door and watched them throw cans like they are venting frustration. It’s almost pointless to by a nice can with a lid. The lid won’t last either.
If I’m not mistaken most cans are bought individually in Palm Coast/Flagler County. I know we bought ours and they weren’t cheap. Perhaps if we went to the city with documentation of can abuse Waste Pro would have to reimburse. Along with all the other fines they pay it seems the only way to make them do their jobs right!!
Wishful thinking but if you or I damage someone eles’s property we have to make it right. Companies should be no different.
Dennis says
I too can say I have never had a problem with refuse pickup! Additionally I understand that this service involves mechanical equipment, (trucks), that may sometimes break down. Further, we a dealing with employees, who sometimes need to call off sick or with personal issues. Given that the city is imposing fines monthly based on complaints, which in itself is unfair when dealing with employees, and equipment that fail from time to time. I commend the employees at Waste Pro, it’s a tough, smelly, and dirty job, which is hard work for anyone doing it. The employees who pick up my trash are always polite, have a pleasant smile when I have encounters with them! The rate of growth in Palm Coast is continuous and thus the tonnage of trash steadily increases, that further taxes the vehicles and manpower. Admittedly, given the steady increase in volume may require periodic re-evaluations of the pick up route, I don’t think that the occasional bad weeks is sufficient basis to abandon the city contract.
However, if we are going to discuss failures occurring in our city, let’s first look at the failures of our own city council and Sheriffs departments first. As both are failing city residents in a far worse way than a few missed trash pickups. Let’s talk about our city council failure to address the homeless issue we are dealing with which presents a public health safety issue. Let’s talk about the Sheriff’s department failure to adequately police our city against crime, with the shooting of a young man at Victoria Plaza, an incident which probably could have been prevented if the Sheriff’s department was aware of what was going on there for months prior to the shooting. Instead, the Sheriff’s has been relegated to traffic control in palm coast. Now let’s talk about the drainage swales in front of each and every home in palm coast that are not being properly maintained, due in part to incompetent staff working in road and bridge, this again leading to public health concerns as standing water in swales is a breeding area for mosquitoes, and an attractive environment for poisonous snakes. So if we are going to talk about failures, let’s examine the failures of our own city council And sheriff’s department before we go after Waste Pro who is sincerely trying to do a good job. Looks to me the council is making a bigger issue with Waste Pro than deserves to be as a means of deflection from greater issues they they are failing on, “Homeless” being the number one issue!
Kitty says
I agree with your comment those guys work long hours they don’t get payed well it’s a hard back breaking Job they can’t keep up with the demand and growth of Palm coast..
Kitty says
Living in the U section for two months and trash can already broken. Chunk broken off the side and cover clips broken.
This was a $50 trash can and I can’t afford to purchase same every couple of months.