WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Advance Disposal sent a letter to customers in Waterford Township letting them know that it was ending service, leaving nearly 14,000 people scrambling for a new garbage company.
The letter said that because the township recently awarded the garbage contract to a rival firm, it would be pulling out. The company claimed it was losing employees.
One of the multiple issues this created was that not everybody received the letter. Another issue was that the new hauler wasn’t supposed to take over for another five months and that no business can absorb that many customers in two weeks.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do, to tell you the truth,” Tina Rompa said.
Rompa currently has no garbage service.
“They bailed because they stomped their feet like babies because they lost the contract,” Rompa said.
The new provider, GFL Environmental, has been swamped with calls and has brought in more than 30 customer service representatives to deal with just Waterford Township calls.
“We have brought in temps and expanded our system,” GFL’s Joe Munem said. “We’ve got more people to make sure people are getting helped and touted correctly, but there’s only so much you can do with a ten day notice.”