Arlington’s former solid waste contractor is lobbying the County Board to consider bringing them back on board following a bumpy start to a new trash service.
American Disposal Services, which collected trash and recycling in Arlington for 10 years, sent the County Board a letter last week referencing problems with missed collections after Bates Trucking and Trash Removal took over service on Aug. 1.
“Given the serious service issues reported by residents, and in light of the County’s interest in fiscal responsibility, ADS wishes to express our continued interest and full readiness to resume service — either in the near term should the current provider fall short, or at the conclusion of the initial contract period,” District Manager Jordan Berkley wrote.
Customers reported about 200 missed collections on Bates’ first day of service, according to Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services (DES). As of mid-August, customers were still reporting about 100 missed collections each day, and the county had begun initiating “financial penalties” and lending some trash trucks to assist with collection.
The county sent out messages to curbside collection customers on Aug. 8 and 18, apologizing for service disruptions. The last couple weeks have been quiet, however.
“Arlington held an open, competitive bid process and Bates was selected as the new contractor for the County,” DES spokesperson Katie O’Brien told ARLnow. “We appreciate our residents’ understanding and patience during this transition period and encourage residents to report any missed collections online.”
Realistically, it’s doubtful that the county would end its one-year contract with Bates prematurely, said Ed Ward, municipal relations manager for American Disposal Services’ parent company, Waste Connections. But he told ARLnow that he’s hopeful he might win the county back in August 2026.
Losing the county contract after a decade came as “a shock,” Ward said — especially since “it’s not unusual” for a company to face some initial hiccups when beginning to service 6,600 customers each day.
“Our point was, ‘do you need help now, or … are you going to need help in the future?'” Ward said. “If you do, we’re here. We’ve been your provider for the longest period of time, and we’d like to do it again.”
According to the letter to the County Board, American Disposal Services offered a slightly lower rate than Bates Trucking for a total savings of about $1.35 million per year.
The county’s request for proposals went out in late 2024. It evaluated contractors based on “experience and qualifications” (30 points), “approach, program design, methodology and understanding of scope” (50 points) and “customer service and reporting” (20 points).
“Many factors contribute to the Household Solid Waste Rate (HSWR), including contractor fees, County program expenses, and staff salaries,” O’Brien said. “This fiscal year, the HSWR remains steady at $415.75, in part due to budget savings at our waste processing facilities.”
County Board Chair Takis Karantonis told ARLnow that, “as is typical, the procurement process for this contract did not include Board members.”
“The County continues to engage with the management of Bates Trucking and Trash Removal to address collection issues and improve performance so that household solid waste can be collected in a consistent and timely manner on scheduled collection days,” he said.
