Pittsburg residents report delays in garbage pickup

PITTSBURG, Kan. (KOAM) - Some Pittsburg residents say their trash isn't getting picked up on time. According to these residents, CARDS Recycling and Waste Management is the company responsible for the service at their homes.

"We have nowhere to put the trash when they don't pick up. So instead of letting animals get into it, we put it in the back of our truck," said Michele Ramirez, a Pittsburg resident.

Ramirez says her family had to come up with strategies to deal with delayed trash pick-up. At one point, she says, it took three weeks for CARDS to pick up their trash.

But she's not alone.

Sarah Dunivan is another Pittsburg resident says she has dealt with a similar situation. With a 10-month-old baby—and lots of diapers—the situation is even harder, according to her.

"We tried to keep some of them [bags with diapers] in here because we knew the animals would get to them if we overstocked the bin. So we kept some of them in here. And I'm telling you, my house smelled like baby poop through and through," Dunivan shared.

Dunivan says she ended up switching companies after trying to call CARDS multiple times without getting a response

"They're not accessible to get to unless you really work hard," she added.

KOAM contacted CARDS for comment. According to the company, most situations are "case by case." They added that if their service is delayed, customers should notify CARDS.

"If we do have any kind of service interruption, whether it be a holiday schedule or just a delay in service for that day, being picked up the next day or a previous day, we will notify those customers and let them know that any trash that they have out, we will collect," said Jason Fitzgerald, Director of Government Affairs at CARDS.

However, residents like Ramirez and Dunivan say this has not been their experience.

"No, that's not true. We've never got any kind of communication from them when they haven't picked up for two or three weeks," Ramirez said.

"I think maybe they picked up our trash four or five times since we had service with them. But anytime they never did, they just never got ahold of us. They never texted us, never emailed us, never called us," Dunivan added.

"There may be customers who we do not have their phone number or email address for those types of notifications. And if that's the case, we would appreciate them giving us that information so we can notify them of any service interruptions," said  Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald also addressed concerns about extra trash, saying, "We understand that they may have extra trash that doesn't fit into their container. As long as it's bagged and outside the container, we'll do everything we can to get that picked up for them."

Despite these assurances, residents say their experiences have been different.

"if they don't pick up the trash, if we have to leave bags beside the trash can, they will not pick it up and put it in their truck, you know?," Ramirez stated. "And so then animals can get into it, and we have to pick it up, and then it has to go into the trash for the next week."

CARDS is fairly new to the Pittsburg area, having acquired Short's Trash Service last summer. The City of Pittsburg says they've been receiving calls with concerns and are looking into establishing their own trash service as a way to address these issues. City officials hope to have more details before the end of the summer.

"it's very frustrating for all of us, including me. I mean, I'm kind of a neat person. I want everything to work well and operate effectively. And so when it doesn't, it's frustrating. But right now we have to be patient because we're really relying on other people to provide that service," said Daron Hall, Pittsburg City Administrator.

KOAM spoke with CARDS yesterday and a few residents this morning. We've sent some follow-up questions to CARDS and hope to have an update after the holiday weekend. KOAM has also heard from residents in other local cities facing the same issues with CARDS.

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