Trash hauler Republic Services’ failed pickups seen in Lenexa and Prairie Village appear to be widespread across Johnson County.
The upshot: Merriam and Shawnee residents say they’ve gone weeks without trash or recycling services from their private hauler, Republic Services.
- These residents say the Phoenix-based company cites staffing issues as the cause of the delay and say they’ll pick up waste in the coming days.
- Shawnee city officials confirmed for the Post that dozens of residents have reported missed or delayed trash pickups by Republic — and some are starting to switch haulers.
What customers are saying: Shawnee resident Lee Eslick-Huff told the Post via email they missed eight out of 10 weeks of picking up their trash — and is going on 32 days as of Tuesday without recycling services.
- Eslick-Huff said Republic consistently cited its driver shortage and that “we will get there when we get there.”
- It’s been 14 days since Eslick-Huff canceled Republic Services, they said, and the cans have yet to be picked up.
- Others like Janel Bowers, a Republic customer since 2016 — and prior to that, Superior, which Republic purchased that year — said her first missed pickup occurred in early October.
- Republic told her the trash would be picked up in two days, but her trash stacked up for two weeks, she said.
- Bowers said she has been unable to get in contact with local management and has yet to see Republic address the ongoing issue.
- She has switched haulers as of Nov. 16 — with three weeks’ worth of recycling sitting in her garage.
Key quote: “Usually you can roll with things, but six weeks of little to no trash service or recycling service?” Bowers said. “You have to stop rolling with it at some point.”
Other cities: Overland Park city officials say they’re aware of the issue, but can only advise residents to resolve it with Republic or switch to one of the several other haulers licensed in the city.
- Republic also operates in Leawood, but city staff told the Post they have received no resident reports about missed pickups.
- Merriam city officials confirmed for the Post via email that Republic is a licensed hauler, despite the absence of Merriam on the company’s online list of cities where it provides services.
- Jenna Gant, Merriam’s communications and public engagement manager, said Republic declined to be listed on the city website.
- Gant said she believes this was because Republic was not accepting new customers at the time, but she does not recall how long ago that was.
What Republic Services has to say
The Post reached out to Republic Services’ media team and received the following statement:
- “Republic Services of Kansas City is currently experiencing some service delays. Many industries are facing staffing challenges at this time, and the environmental services industry is no different. We have hired and are training new drivers, and do plan to be back on schedule as quickly as possible. We are proud to serve our communities, and we thank them for their patience during this time. We are continuing to recruit and hire great people to join our team, and offer a competitive salary, generous benefits, paid vacation, safety bonuses, and numerous career advancement opportunities. For more information, please visit https://republicservices.jobs.”
- The Post asked Republic to comment on customer claims that its local management team is unreachable. This story will be updated when the Post receives a response.
