Snowstorm Causes Trash Delay For Some Waste Management Customers
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- The snow may have stopped falling, but the trash is piling up in some neighborhoods in the Denver metro area. It will be several days before that trash gets picked up.
Those who live outside of the City of Denver, have to hire a waste disposal service. Many choose Waste Management for trash and recycling. Tens of thousands of those customers missed out on garbage collection this week because of the big snow storm. Now they don't know what to do with all their trash.
"I think it's pretty unfair because, I mean, we pay a good price and all of our trash is just getting built up," says Heron Villarreal.
Villarreal lives in Aurora and is a Waste Management customer. Usually his trash is picked up Tuesday but this week those trucks never came. Now he doesn't know what he is going to do with all the trash that is collecting at his house.
He's not alone. A lot of his neighbors and Coloradans across the Front Range still have their trash on the curb waiting for a pickup. Villarreal hopes they come pick it up soon.
"They could at least come by tomorrow," he said, "It's going to be sunny the rest of the week so most of the snow should be gone."
Ken Atencio, the Senior District Manager for Waste Management says they kept the trucks off the streets during the storm to keep everyone safe.
"Our trucks weigh between 25 and 30 tons fully loaded so it's important to make sure we get off the roads."
Atencio said that the next trash pickup for people in the Denver metro area who didn't get collected this week, will be next week on their normal collection day.
"Here in Denver just on Monday and Tuesday alone we have probably 50,000 to 70,000 customers. Logistically, there's no way we can catch up," said Atencio.
That's not good news for people left with overflowing trash bins, but Atencio said his crews will take care of it, "Everything that's out we will get it picked up cleaned up and make our customers happy."
Waste Management said not to worry about having more trash than usual next week, the company won't charge a fee for overflowing bins. The company also advises to check their website for any questions on whether trash pickup will be delayed for adverse weather or a holiday.