ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Thousands of Orion Township homeowners are out of garbage pick up services after the township booted a major trash hauler earlier this week.
It all started last year when customers say Odd Job Disposal started slacking on its responsibility to get on the job. Some neighborhoods had gone 4 and 6 weeks without pickups. Odd Job claims to service 5,000 households in the area.
Frustrated with major delays, hundreds began to issue complaints with the township. While individual households are responsible for setting up their own negotiated rates with the garbage collection, the township says it did try to step in and help.
After three months of back and forth with the company trying to rectify the problem, the township says Odd Job had a sub-par response, admitting it had no plan to get back on track. Earlier this week, the township moved to bar the company from servicing Orion Township all together.
Odd Job is allowed to pick up trash until April 1.
After that, thousands of customers are on their own, forced to make arrangements with the three other companies still permitted to do pick ups. Those companies are Advanced Disposal (locations in Clarkston and Pontiac), Green for Life Environmental (GFL) and Waste Management.
All three entities say they have the available capacity needed to on board new customers. The township is urging residents to get those arrangements in place in order to avoid conflicts with a township ordinance that holds homeowners responsible for any garbage left out for more than 24 hours.
Homeowners pre-pay for the year, so some have inquired about a refund. The township says it was told by the company that it would issue refunds. However, the township says it's a matter that needs to be handled between the customer and the company. The township cannot orchestrate refunds.
Action News reached out to Odd Job Disposal and have yet to hear back.
The township is urging all residents to get the most up to date guidance by visiting the FAQ page on its website: www.oriontownship.org.
