Readers Say
“Dumpster overflowing. Recycling bins overflowing. Worried about rats next!” one respondent said.
Republic Services and the Teamsters Local 25 union are back at the bargaining table Tuesday, as trash – and frustration – continues to pile up.
For two weeks, workers for the waste management company Republic Services have been on strike over improved wages, benefits, and stronger labor protections. As a result, waste collection services have been disrupted in over a dozen municipalities across the Commonwealth.
Without a resolution in sight, residents said they have been left to deal with overflowing trash bins and dumpsters, and have struggled to get updates from their town on the disruption.
“Overflowing trash and recycling hasn’t been picked up. Communication from town has been terrible,” reader Erin from Watertown told Boston.com in a poll.
Republic Services and Teamsters union leaders met last week for hours, but were unable to come to a solution. The ongoing dispute has drawn concern from several local officials (including members of the Boston City Council and the Secretary of State) who urged the waste management company to reach a deal.
“We urge Republic Services to immediately return to the bargaining table and reach a contract that reflects the dedication of these workers and meets the expectations of the communities you serve,” Boston City Councilors Erin Murphy, John Fitzgerald, and Ed Flynn wrote in a letter on Friday.
The Councilors and Boston.com readers also raised concerns about public health and safety, as the buildup of trash attracts rats and other pests.
“All the trash cans on our street are overflowing and attracting rats!” reader Sam from Watertown said. “Republic’s stubbornness and refusal to negotiate is actively harming the health and safety of the communities they claim to serve.”
Below, readers share how the ongoing Republic Services trash strike is impacting them.
Responses have been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.
How is the trash strike affecting you and/or your neighborhood?
“I live in Canton, where the disruption of trash collection is impacting public health with an increase in rodents due to rotting garbage. Today is day 15 of the strike. Recycling pick up has been halted completely and trash disposal collection is disrupted and severely delayed.
“Given the dangers and difficulty of the job, along with the cost of living in MA, Republic Services should bargain in good faith regarding the workers’ demands for improved health insurance and wage parity for the industry, comparable to the wages of the smaller companies, Capitol Waste and Star Waste Systems. Regardless of how you feel about the Teamsters, these workers deserve the respect they are due.” – Jennifer W., Canton
“Condo building with 14 units in Newton. Dumpster overflowing. Recycling bins overflowing. Worried about rats next!” – Sharon S., Newton
“Trash is piling up, animals are ripping it to pieces, and neighbors are getting mad at each other. But let’s be real: that’s the side of trash that public sanitation workers deal with for a living. That’s what Republic Services is holding communities hostage with to try to sway public opinion as their executives collect their own massive paychecks. I’m willing to put up with it if it means better outcomes for the people actually doing the work.” – Drew B., Newton
“I live in Malden and we are now getting trash pickup once every two weeks but they are so behind because they only have three trucks. It’s Monday and trash was supposed to be picked up on Friday and they still haven’t come. Malden is also not doing a good job about messaging, so we have neighbors who have left their recycling out even though there is no pickup for it and you have to take it to a local school. They also have not been clear about what days you can take trash to the DPW building because the update online is outdated. I think there is a plan to help mitigate the issue, but the city’s messaging is bad so there is just trash and recycling piling up on the streets which is attracting rats and other animals. It’s a hot mess over here.” – Anonymous reader, Malden
“We hadn’t had our trash collected until this afternoon. We still haven’t had our recycling collected yet. This is precisely why we should not leave cornerstone services to the whims of grubby profiteers. Pay the workers, end the strike. If Republic can’t work this out, swallow their pride, and pay these workers, the municipalities in this area should create a regional public waste management service. At least then we, the people affected, would be able to leverage advocacy and the power of our vote to ensure stable, reliable service.” – Dan, Watertown
“Our trash has only been picked up once since the strike began, but our recycling is overflowing at this point. Our city is doing its best to keep Republic on schedule for trash pickup, but updates from the mayor’s office are confusing because Republic is so behind schedule. Service is hampered by replacement drivers who don’t know the area, so even when neighborhoods are scheduled, some streets and houses get missed. There’s been no direct communication from Republic, and a third pickup has yet to be scheduled. We also haven’t had any updates from the mayor’s office as of 4:30 p.m. Monday.” – Thomas G., Beverly
“People are tired of lugging bins to the curb only for them to not be picked up, so now they’re being left to accumulate as the weeks pass. We luckily have had trash pick up but boxes and boxes of recycling are lining streets. In some cases, wildlife is taking advantage of the situation and strewing plastic, metal, glass, and paper all over the streets of our town. I live on a secluded double-yellow where children ride their bikes all day long throughout the area, and I can imagine this will quickly become hazardous to them, let alone the vernal pools or the wild life and lost pets looking for food in discarded plastic jugs and jagged metal cans.” – B.T., Gloucester
Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.
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