After fining Republic Services $28,000 over the past six months for missed trash pickups, Prairie Village city leaders are asking its solid waste provider for better communication.
Mayor Eric Mikkelson and the Prairie Village City Council on Monday asked Phoenix-based Republic Services to proactively communicate with the city about missed pickups. City leaders also asked Republic representatives to prioritize picking up trash at missed routes for the following day.
This comes after several issues with Republic missing trash pickups in the past two years in Prairie Village and neighboring Johnson County cities.
In Prairie Village, Republic is the primary solid waste hauler citywide. The city is more than halfway through a 10-year deal with Republic, with the contract ending in 2027.
The city has fined Republic $28K in six months
- In the last six months, the city of Prairie Village has levied $28,383 in fines against Republic, City Clerk Adam Geffert told the Post.
- The company racked up fines mostly in the month of May, Geffert said.
- Between July and December 2023, Geffert said the city fined Republic $10,300.
- The 10-year contract between Republic and Prairie Village stipulates a $1,000 daily fine for missed pickups that were neither excused nor discussed with the designated solid waste director.
- Republic is also fined $100 for the first violation at a single address, $250 for the second violation at the same address in the same year and $500 for every subsequent violation at the same address in the same year, per the contract.
A look at the issues
- In late 2022, Republic Services struggled to provide consistent service in Prairie Village and across the county.
- Republic also came under scrutiny by city officials when the company contracted the 2023 large-item pickup service out to a third party, leaving curbs littered with furniture and other items.
- While bulk item pickup went relatively smoothly in 2024, Mikkelson said, missed pickups are still an issue with trash sitting on curbs for up to five days.
- Councilmember Dave Robinson said based on what residents relay to the city council, the issues with Republic are persistent.
- “There just seems to be more chronic issues,” Robinson said. “Spotty, maybe at best, better than it has been, but still chronic issues with pickup.”
Republic says recent hiccups due to drivers unfamiliar with area
- Garrett Spoonmore, operations manager with Republic’s Kansas City office, told the city council that recent issues are caused by “unfamiliar drivers with unfamiliar routes.”
- Spoonmore said Republic brings in drivers from out of town for a week or two at a time to help cover routes.
- “A lot of times, we should know (about missed pickups) but drivers don’t know they’re missing a section because they’ve never seen that route, potentially, before so they didn’t know they didn’t complete it,” Spoonmore said.
- Spoonmore said Republic recently installed new cameras on trucks that provide better GPS tracking.
- This new technology should help Republic determine when a pickup is missed and whether both sides of one street are serviced, he said.
Governing body, Republic agree on actions to fix issues
- Spoonmore and Tyler Riordan, Republic’s municipal sales manager in the metro area, agreed to proactively communicate with the city regarding missed pickups and when the company is low on staff on any given week.
- The pair also agreed to prioritize sending trucks to pick up missed routes from the previous day.
- Councilmember Terrence Gallagher said Friday is collection day in Ward 6, and missed pickups often get left until Monday or sometimes Tuesday.
- Riordan and Spoonmore were unable to guarantee weekly Saturday morning service for missed pickups, but agreed to let city staff know on a weekly basis whether such service is available.
- This allows city staff to let residents know if Saturday morning service is happening, and to plan accordingly if their Friday collection is missed.
Go deeper: Watch the entire city council discussion during the June 17 meeting online here, with the Republic conversation starting at 17:19.
