Eagle Disposal customers report continued irregular service throughout Lancaster County [Lancaster Watchdog]

Mounting garbage piles continue to plague some Eagle Disposal customers, even after the company made a commitment to improve its pickups.

Lancaster County residents have reached out to The Watchdog to share their own experiences with Honey Brook-based trash hauler Eagle Disposal after a story last week detailed the company’s pattern of irregular service and poor communication.

Several customers said they have dealt with delayed pickups for weeks and can’t get answers from the company. Others reported slightly better service but are concerned about how regular that service will be in the future.

Karl Ericson said it’s been nearly two months since Eagle Disposal has picked up recycling at his Salisbury Township home. The company last reached out to him on June 21 via an automated phone call to inform him that recycling wouldn’t be picked up that week, but he hasn’t heard anything since.

“We would eventually bring in our can instead of having it sit out by the curb,” Ericson said. “But now, everyone is leaving their cans out even through the weekend, just being desperate in the hope that something will happen.”

Ericson has also waited a week for the hauler to pick up his trash with no word from the company about why it missed his street. The irregular service comes after Eagle Disposal implemented a 22% increase to his regular bill this year, he said.

The company has attributed service delays to a staffing shortage, though a spokesperson for Eagle Disposal’s parent company, Texas-based Waste Connections, did not originally offer a reason for shortages.

Amanda Moley, Waste Connection’s spokesperson, reiterated a company apology in a video posted to Eagle Disposal’s Facebook page. She said the staffing shortage is partly due to the nature of a “competitive” labor market.

“It is tough to find employees that want to work in 90-degree heat and do a physically demanding job. That’s just the reality of the waste industry, and that’s what the waste industry as a whole is dealing with for competition for (commercial driver’s license) drivers,” Moley said in the video.

Watchdog: Eagle Disposal garbage cans collection issue [photos]

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According to business research company IBISWorld, waste collection employment has grown steadily over the past 10 years. In 2023 so far, the industry saw a .7% employment increase.

Ericson has been an Eagle Disposal customer for 20 years and said service has “deteriorated” since Waste Connections purchased the company in 2020. Customers reported a number of delays in 2021 that resulted in a recent settlement with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office.

Customers from Chester County-based A.J. Blosenski, another Waste Connections company, also have shared their concerns with missed pickups with The Pottstown Mercury.

Moley did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Berwyn-based law firm Sauder Schelkopf said attorneys are actively investigating complaints about Eagle Disposal’s service. The firm previously announced it is considering a class-action lawsuit against A.J. Blosenski.

Finding new haulers

Leola resident Beverly Erb said Eagle Disposal’s lack of communication is driving her away from the company. For three days in a row, Eagle Disposal told Erb haulers would pick up her garbage but failed to show.

Erb said she tried to connect directly with a customer service representative over the phone and online but was unsuccessful. She plans to switch to Ephrata-based Good’s Disposal Service in October when her current billing period ends.

“Those three days of Eagle telling us they were in our area and going to pick up our trash and then didn’t was the final straw. If I could count on them issuing a refund to me then I would cancel now but I don’t trust them,” Erb said via email. “We will see what happens for August and September, I may be switching sooner if Eagle doesn’t straighten up.”

Susan Redcay, Good’s Disposal Service office manager, said the company has seen a “significant increase,” likely thousands, in customers over the past several months. She said many new customers have told the company upfront they are coming from Eagle Disposal.

In the Facebook video, Moley said Eagle Disposal plans to automatically issue refunds or credits to customers for missed pickups. Erb said she was told credits were placed on her account when she requested a refund.

Amanda Levering, Akron Mobile Homes owner, said her company has been told they will receive a refund or credit, but she has not heard anything more about it.

Akron Homes residents Mary Linger and Andrea Sleak said Eagle Disposal’s service has improved slightly since The Watchdog’s story last week. Before, Linger and Sleak, who both live in Ephrata Township, went a month without trash pickup. After a surprise pickup two weeks ago, Linger said Eagle Disposal picked up trash again over the weekend.

Levering said she expects weekly pickup for her tenants going forward, but Eagle Disposal could not confirm what day trash would be picked up. Linger pointed to a message taped to her mobile park’s mailboxes that said trash would be collected between Thursday and Saturday.

“They have promised us it will be close to normal,” Levering said.

A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Attorney General said the office has received 187 complaints against Eagle Disposal since May, when the claims period closed for the settlement.