FRASER, Mich. (WXYZ) — One year after taking over nearly 80 municipal contracts from GFL Environmental, Priority Waste says it has made significant investments to improve service after a rocky transition period that frustrated many Michigan residents.
The company has retained most of the contracts it initially acquired one year later, despite reported service delays, billing problems and customer service complaints that plagued the first year of operations.
Watch the video report below:
"People's expectations in the beginning was that everything was going to be perfectly smooth, and it obviously wasn't," said Matt Allen, director of public relation and government affairs at Priority Waste.
The major acquisition of nearly 80 municipal contracts in Michigan from GFL to Priority Waste occurred on July 1, 2024, bringing with it a challenging transition period.
"We're not shying away from the reality of the situation, we're not trying to gloss over everything, we're a very transparent company that wants to be a good community partner," Allen said.
Watch our full interview with Matt Allen in the video player below:
One year later, most municipalities have decided to extend their contracts with Priority Waste, even though some, like Macomb Township, have issued a formal notice of default to the company after multiple complaints.
Watch our previous coverage when Macomb Township unanimously voted to send Priority Waste a formal notice of default
The city of Fraser recently extended their contract for three more years, which includes a 24% price hike.
"That bothers me. Because this city has insured some significant tax increases over the years," said Mitchell Kozera, a Fraser resident.
Fraser officials say they had limited options. Despite issues reported by residents, the city received no other bids for waste collection services.
In a statement, the mayor of Fraser, Michael Lesich said:
"This wasn’t an easy decision. I would have preferred an open bid with multiple vendors. While there have been service issues, staff works closely with Priority Waste to address them. With limited alternatives, we accepted a 24% rate increase—a significant cost to our community. I expect Priority Waste to reinvest in equipment and staffing to deliver better service."
According to Priority Waste, Orion Township is the only municipality in Oakland County that did not extend their contract.
"Lots of billing issues, and we just couldn't get the service that we needed. We couldn't get questions answered," Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett said. "Any company that attempts to do what they tried to do, I mean, it was a recipe not for success, and that's what we experienced."
Barnett noted that trash delays sometimes lasted weeks. Priority Waste says trash delays typically only last a day and are mostly caused by extreme heats or weather events. With 50 new trucks coming in by the end of the month and 100 next year, the company says most issues should resolve.
Previous report: Defecated in, axles disabled, Priority Waste details issues with purchased GFL trucks
"If they were going to take on this business, they should have been able to handle all aspects of it," Barnett said.
Priority Waste remains optimistic about improvements.
"We've come a long way since July 1st of 2024 to get us here to mid-July of 2025. Things will only get better toward now and the end of the year," Allen said. "Next year will be completely different from this year and we’ve come a long way,” Allen said.
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