INDIANAPOLIS -- Delayed trash pickup continues to be a problem for some residents in Fishers, although some say it has gotten better recently.
They said the delays became more of an issue when Waste Management bought Ray’s Trash Service last year. This is a story our FOX59/CBS4 team first covered in May of 2023.
“Waste Management, when they took over, there had been some issues with missing trash pickup, missing recycling, things that were left out next to the bins, they were not picking up and it was a bit of an issue that people were having,” said Brad Allen, who lives in Fishers.
Some people living here said it’s at least gotten better since this time last year.
“I would say in years past we have had intermittent challenges but since moving here, I haven't really experienced anything,” said Fishers resident Curt Merlau.
“It has gotten a lot better since then, so maybe just with the complaints coming in but it has been much better,” Allen said.
But other residents say things have not really changed.
“I have only been hearing complaints,” said Shamyl Tufail, who lives in Fishers. “I do know in the beginning it was a little bit worse. I remember it was a nightmare with the switch over but I have not heard anything good just yet.”
Waste Management released the following statement about the recent complaints:
“WM commits to taking care of each other, our customers, our communities, and the environment, and sincerely apologizes for any delays in service that Hamilton County residents may have experienced due to unforeseen circumstances. As soon as we became aware of these service disruptions, our team worked swiftly to resolve and recover service as of Saturday, May 4th - prior to this inquiry. No future impacts on service are expected.”
There were also some concerns brought up by residents about the unpredictability of price increases with Waste Management. They responded with the following statement:
“All price increases are communicated to all customers through their WM invoices – including customers enrolled in autopay and paperless billing. If a customer does not have an existing, online, My WM account, WM encourages customers to activate their online My WM Account to view pickup and holiday schedules, manage service, schedule a bulk pick-up, and enroll in AutoPay and Paperless Billing. Customers can also set communication preferences to receive notifications of new invoices and service alerts via email, text, or phone.”
Going forward, the City of Fishers is looking at potentially a new solution for trash pickup in the city.
“As some of those complaints came to council, they tasked us with essentially identifying a solution for trash collection here in Fishers so that's what brought us to exploring the RFP for the city and we are currently in that RFP process now,” said Jordin Alexander, the chief of staff with the City of Fishers.
That proposal is specifically looking at Fishers introducing its own city-wide trash provider.
“At the end of the day, we just want to be able to help residents and be able to advocate for them which we haven't been able to do when we are not in control of the contracts,” Alexander said.
There is still a long way to go for this idea to become a reality but residents said they are open to the idea.
“If it’s good for the consumer, I would be supportive of it and if it alleviates some headaches of pickups or the unpredictability of price, I would be all for that,” Merlau said.
This idea is still in the early stages of development, but there could be a decision on this sometime in the fall with the service starting in winter of 2025 if it moves forward.