Mid-Michigan residents continue having trash issues
By KENDALL KEYS, ANNA MUCKENFUSS
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STANDISH, Michigan (WNEM) — More mid-Michigan residents are having issues getting their trash picked up on the correct day, and some are waiting weeks.
“It’s just a mess,” Renee Goick, a Standish resident said. “There’s trash all over the sides of the road. You walk outside and it’s all that hits you, is the smell of the garbage. Nasty flies, maggots and smell.”
Goick said her trash is not getting picked up by Republic services nearly as much as it should be.
“A total of 13 pickups we should have had since the first of April and we’ve only had 6,” Goick said.
The garbage is piling up, and it’s creating problems.
“We have a two-year-old and a four-year-old grandson. We had to move their toys out of the garage because the maggots were crawling on their bikes,” Goick said.
Goick said the trash services are paid for by their taxes, so they are not getting what they paid for.
“They got paid for those 13 pickup days. But I only got services for six of them. It’s just not sanitary, especially because it’s summertime,” Goick said.
In a statement to TV5, Republic Services cited staffing challenges as the reason for the delay.
“Republic Services has been experiencing some collection delays and apologizes for any disruptions this may be causing in our community. Many industries are facing staffing challenges at this time, and the recycling and waste disposal industry is no different,” the statement said.
Goick said she wants to see some accountability.
“You can only hear that excuse for so long. I’m a retired nurse of 30 some years and I couldn’t use that excuse. You have to do your job,” Goick said.
Goick’s trash did get picked up today, but now she wonders when the next pick up will be.
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