Residents in parts of unincorporated Palm Beach County, Florida, are dealing with the annoying hassle of missed garbage pickups.
The rollout of new garbage contracts has caused full trash cans to stay at the curb without being emptied for long periods of time.
Here's what to know
Complaints started to stack up after the start of Palm Beach County's new seven-year collection contracts on Oct. 1. The Solid Waste Authority told CBS12 it received 5,543 customer notification forms tied to calls from Oct. 1 to Oct. 13 — about twice the roughly 2,700 contacts usually expected over that span.
Not every notification form reflected a verified missed pickup, but the overall count still indicated a clear jump in complaints and uncertainty.
The biggest concentration was in Service Area 3, which covers The Acreage and is handled by Coastal Waste & Recycling. That area alone accounted for 3,102 notifications, while Service Area 1 had 1,178.
For Palm Beach County resident Karen Lamberson, the issue became obvious when the bin was still full after the day she expected collection.
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"I thought they were supposed to come on Monday, and then when I went to go get my trash can, it was still full," Lamberson told CBS12. "Well, that's a bummer."
Neighbor Joe Belsito said the delays have been similar where he lives.
"It stays overnight," he noted. "And they pick it up the next day."
More background
County officials said the delays reflect a transition period under the new system. With district boundaries redrawn, new haulers are still learning their routes, and crews also have to determine which households get at-door pickup for seniors and people with disabilities.
Palm Beach County resident Jack Ross said, "Just the timing has been a little weird, but again, it's only been two weeks."
Because pickup times have felt unpredictable, Lamberson said she has thought about just leaving the cans outside.
That can be especially stressful in neighborhoods governed by homeowners association rules, where bins often are not supposed to stay at the curb for long. It could also attract unwanted pests.
Belsito said confusion now extends to the way residents set the cans out.
"Now all of a sudden, they're saying people are putting it out backwards, and the machine can't pick it up," he said.
What's being done?
The seven-year agreements apply to almost 213,000 curbside homes, with garbage collected twice a week and recycling, yard waste, and bulk items each picked up once a week.
The Solid Waste Authority said it is tracking routes and working with contractors to address missed pickups. It also said haulers are improving and that service is expected to return to normal quickly.
The SWA said call volume is down 18% compared with the previous collection contract transition in 2019.
The agency said residents should have all materials out before 6 a.m. Residential collection runs between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m., and residents can verify pickup days through the SWA website or report issues by calling 561-697-2700.
"I wish we had been notified," Lamberson added. "We were not notified. We just have to get this resolved. I think that's not too much to ask."
Where can I learn more?
Palm Beach County's trash pickup troubles are one example of the headaches that can come with changes to sanitation service.
• A homeowner's cameras captured trash spilling into the street during a frustrating collection.
• In New York City, trash piled up on streets as residents and officials traded blame.
• One city's forced monthly garbage fee sparked backlash as officials pushed wildlife-resistant carts.
• In Miami-Dade County, officials weighed the nation's largest trash incinerator amid health concerns.
• In Rhode Island, cities put a new curbside service in place through compost pilots.
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