Trash pickup issues continue in Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Residents from all across Colorado Springs continue to deal with sporadic or no trash pickup at all.
KRDO has talked with several people who say that Green for Life or subsidiary Bestway hasn't been picking up trash on time. The company said last week it was short-staffed but it would fix the problems.
“Nobody is returning calls. They aren’t answering calls and we just need help. We need to know what to do," Steve Bartley said. "Do I put it out the next day? Do I maintain it in my garage for another week? If you’re leaving town, this is hard to do.”
Bartley went to GFL's Colorado Springs Office Thursday morning to cancel his service. He brought two bags of trash that GFL didn't pick up Wednesday. But the company apparently didn't want to take the garbage from him despite the fact he paid them for trash removal at his house.
“She gave me an address to the transfer station and said you can take it there. That’s when I denied that and said I’m not going to do that. I’m tired of dealing with your trash. It’s yours, not mine anymore. And she says well, you can’t do that," Bartley explained.
Eventually, a man who wasn't happy with KRDO's camera being there took the trash out of Bartley's truck in front of GFL's office.
Bartley's not alone. Several residents in Rockrimmon have been having trash issues too. Some GFL customers told KRDO the company is asking them to leave cans out overnight in wildlife prone areas, which is a violation of Colorado Springs city code.
“We left our can out because we didn’t know if they were going to come late or if they were going to come the next day. They didn’t give us any kind of notification whatsoever. My daughter and I had to pick up recycling and put it in our trashcan because the raccoons had definitely been in it," Shelia Love said.
Love doesn't think she should be required to pay full price for unreliable service.
“They are charging us when we forget to take our cans to the road. So, I feel like we should be able to charge them when they don’t pick up our cans," Love said.
GFL Environmental said last week it was having staffing and call center issues but was working to fix the problems. The company also indicated it was setting up an automated notification service that will alert customers if trash pickup will be delayed or rescheduled. GFL did not say when that service would be up and running.
The promises are lip service to people like Bartley and Love who have seen a lack of response and change from GFL.
“They have staffing issues. They have communication issues. Well, come on, folks. Fix it. Fix it," Bartley said. "You are a nationwide, Canadian company, corporation. You have the resources … and we’re not seeing that happening.”
GFL did not respond to KRDO's request for comment on Thursday.
The Vice President of GFL, John Bosch, sent this statement to KRDO last week.
"Providing quality service to our customers is top priority. We recognize the service issues and are making impactful changes that will provide sustained improvement. We have a fantastic team of employees that are working hard daily. For customers trying to reach us, we understand that wait times are longer than usual. This is due to very high call volumes. We have enlisted additional help to answer incoming calls, emails, and social media in a timelier manner. In addition, we have added levels of communication that will make our customers aware of any delays in service. We fully intend to assist with every customer and kindly ask for patience during this time.
Customers with billing inquiries due to service issues can contact our main office at 719-633-8709 and speak with a customer service agent or email us at coloradosprings@gflenv.com."
If you are unable to get ahold of GFL by phone or email, another option is to go to their Colorado Springs office on Sante Fe Street. The company is apparently allowing one customer in the lobby at a time.
