After months of complaints about missed trash pickups and other waste collection issues, Arlington County is ditching its current contractor in favor of its former provider.
The county announced today that it will be ending its contract with Bates Trucking and Trash Removal on Aug. 1, one year after Bates took over responsibility for providing curbside pickup for trash, recycling and organics — a change that almost immediately led to complaints from dissatisfied residents.
Arlington is passing the baton back to its former longtime contractor, American Disposal Services, after a competitive bid process.
“Between now and August 1, the County will work with our current contractor to begin the transition and address any ongoing performance challenges,” the county said in an announcement.
This is a victory for American Disposal Services, which began lobbying the County Board to bring them back on board shortly after the problems started. The contractor had previously collected the county’s waste for 10 years.
Arlington’s waste contractor services about 6,600 customers each day: mostly single-family homes, as multifamily properties are served by private waste haulers. The contractor typically receives around $8.7 million from the county each year, which is paid for by residents receiving collection services via solid waste fees.
Since Bates took over, many residents have described persistent issues with full waste bins sitting on the curb for days. Complaints led the county to withhold more than $855,000 from its invoices to Bates between August and January.
Recently, the county also changed who picks up residents’ yard waste and food scraps.
On April 20, the county began paying a second waste contractor, Rockville, Md.-based Compost Crew, $9,920 per week to collect organics. Then, starting yesterday (Monday), Arlington County switched to have American Disposal Services provide that service.
“We recognize that recent curbside service has not met the standard our customers deserve,” the Solid Waste Bureau said in an announcement last week. “Adding this additional contractor will help restore reliable performance going forward.”
Aug. 1 is the earliest that the county could realistically change waste contractors, since Bates’ contract lasts through July 31, Katie O’Brien, spokesperson for Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services, previously told ARLnow.
Residents are encouraged to continue reporting service issues using the county’s Report-a-Problem tool or by calling 703-228-5000.
“Thank you for your understanding and support as we work to provide service at the reliable standard you expect,” the county said in today’s announcement.
