Manassas Journal Messenger | Trash pickup gripes soar after contractual decision
Trash pickup complaints in Manassas have skyrocketed since the city chose not to renew its contract with Fredericksburg-based Waste Management Services Inc.
The city has recorded more than 2,000 instances of trash not being picked up this month, says Mike Moon, Manassas’ public works director. The number is more than 20 times the average 180 misses per month taking place in 2002.
?They were the highest level of misses we’ve experienced in our five-year contract with Waste Management,? Moon said.
A call made to a district manager at Waste Management was not returned.
The company has two months left in its contract with the city. The City Council voted earlier this month to switch to Nokesville-based Five Star Hauling Services Inc., starting July 1.
Trash pickups take place about 90,000 times per month in the city, meaning Waste Management has been missing residences at least 2 percent of the time this month. Any miss rate above 1 percent is extremely high, Moon said.
Moon is hoping less trash will be missed once the city starts levying fines on Waste Management. Manassas’ contract with the company includes a $25 fine for every time a city resident’s trash is missed.
?We’re going to charge some significant penalties based on the misses we’ve experienced,? Moon said. ?It’s not the service level we want to give our citizens.?
Manassas residents with trash pickup complaints should call the city’s special trash hotline at (703) 257-8252.
Staff writer Chris Newmarker can be reached at (703) 368-3101, Ext. 119.3