If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I’ve been unhappy with my trash service from the day I moved into my new house. Because our town does not provide trash or recycling collection, it is up to residents to contract privately for this service. Since all the residents on the street where we’d moved had those blue BFI/Allied Waste trash cans, I figured they were a fine company to contract with and so I signed up.

Boy, was I wrong. Not only did Allied Waste offer a sub-par recycling program (plastics, glass and newspapers/magazines only) but our twice-weekly trash pickup often occurred only once a week. Then, on a number of occasions, when I would go to the curb to retrieve my trash can, I would discover half of my trash still in the can. I called each time this happened (I had to leave a message since it’s nearly impossible to get a live person through the company’s customer service line), and for a week or so, my trash cans were emptied completely. Then the amount of trash left behind would creep up again, and I would have to call once more to complain.

Not that I would want to work as a trash collector, but I believe that no matter what your job is, you should do it 100 percent. It seemed that Allied Waste wasn’t communicating this to its on-the-truck employees.

My contract with the company is expiring at the end of May, and I’m now in the open window when I can alert the company that I’m not renewing my services and not incur any additional fees–as long as I don’t stop service before the anniversary date. Last week I sent a certified letter letting the company know as such. Then, unfortunately, something happened yesterday that required me to get in touch with the company again. Below are excerpts from the letter I sent:

Dear Allied Waste Customer Service:

I have contacted your company in the past and have never received an answer back. I am currently waiting on hold for your customer service department, a department that is nearly impossible to reach. It makes me think that Allied Waste isn’t really interested in serving its customers.

We did not receive trash or recycling pickup on Friday (this is not the first time this has happened), and the company made no attempt to notify the customers that the pickup would not be occurring on the regular schedule. In fact, we’ve never been given a heads up when trash pickup would be delayed or cancelled.

Like in the past calls to your customer service department, when my neighbors and I could get through, were unhelpful. Of course, I continue to pay for twice-a-week service, though you don’t always deliver it. May I deduct $5 from my monthly bill for late service, just as you can add $5 to my bill for late payment?

Today, Tuesday, is our regular trash pick up day, and I just witnessed something that made me sick to my stomach: because my recyclables were still out at the curb (because, as you know, you didn’t come on Friday to pick up recycling, the only day you take recyclables), your regular trash guys took them and tossed them in with the garbage with my regular trash.

How is it possible that your employees thought that this was OK? Your own corporate website says the following about your environmental efforts: “Nationwide, Allied Waste is committed to sound environmental stewardship and working closely with customers to help them achieve their own “green” goals. The company’s environmental initiatives extend beyond the management of waste volumes and include alternative energy generation and the introduction of clean-burning alternative fuels into its fleet.” Given what I just witnessed, one can only question your commitment to “sound environmental stewardship.”

Bottom line: your company needs to rethink its customer service initiatives, and you need to educate your trash haulers that tossing recyclables in with the trash, where they will all end up in a landfill, isn’t serving your customers who care about the environment.

I don’t know if it is illegal to dump recyclables in with the trash, or it’s just stupid, lazy and rude. Nonetheless, I’ve contacted my state’s Environmental Protection Agency, and I’m going to let them sort that out.

In the meantime, I’m counting down the days until May 28, 2008, when I can sign on with my new trash company (some of my fed-up neighbors are signing on, too). While this company is cheaper, it does offer trash pickup once a week only, but that’s OK–with our commitment to composting, we put out very little trash each week anyway. What I’m really looking forward to is being able to participate in this company’s progressive recycling program. Not only is it single-sort but also it takes cardboard. Yahoo!