LAKE ANGELUS, Mich (WXYZ) — When Priority Waste took over GFL contracts and subscriptions, Paul Glantz said he and his neighbors did not experience a problem. At least not at first.
"We weren't impacted, initially. However, they've subsequently fallen down on the job," he said. "And now it's been over two weeks since we've had a pickup."
Glantz and his neighbors are particularly concerned because their neighborhood is nestled in a wooded area where they love seeing the wildlife, but not poking around in decomposing garbage that has been out in the hot sun for days.
"It can make a tremendous mess," said Jim Hibbard, who said it was also frustrating when he reached out to the company via phone and email and didn't get a response. "They wouldn't communicate for whatever reason."
Matt Allen heads up public relations and government affairs for Priority Waste and he said the issue arose when many of GFL's trucks that they acquired were not working.
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"They just parked them when they weren't working because, going into the transfer in the sale, they weren't fixing these vehicles," Allen said. "We had many of the vehicles delivered on Sunday night, June the 30th, the day before we're having service, with tow trucks."
Allen said they've been getting more trucks on the road and that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
"Of the 73 communities that we took over, we have about four or five left out there that still need to be tidied up to get right-sized," he added. "We believe that all of that will be done by the end of next week."
Allen then said a crew would be going out Friday to pick up the trash in Glantz's neighborhood.
But between what neighbors describe as poor communication with Priority Waste and the garbage that has started building up in their garages, it's unclear if homeowners here will stick with Priority Waste, saying they'd already started considering switching to another company.
Thankfully, Glantz and his neighbors won't have to drive by the garbage pails filled with trash this weekend because, by late Friday afternoon, a crew had come by to finally pick up the garbage.
Glantz told us he's grateful 7 News Detroit was able to advocate for them.
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