The new CEO of Priority Waste is outlining a plan for service recovery following reports in June by 7 News Detroit about problems with trash pickup.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report:
Aaron Johnson, who was appointed the CEO of the company last month, outlined what he calls a five-point recovery plan.
Watch below: Past coverage on Priority Waste pickup problems
"First and foremost, we want to acknowledge and sincerely apologize for the frustration and inconvenience many of you have experienced. We take full responsibility for the service failures that have occurred," the letter reads. "While the challenges we face today were not created overnight, we are committed to addressing them with urgency, transparency, and accountability."
Last month, our Ruta Ulcinaite reported on complaints piling up against the company across Southeast Michigan, with city officials saying they were fed up.
Related stories on Priority Waste
- Customers in Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne Counties all continue having issues with Priority Waste
- Priority Waste promises trash pickup deadlines as complaints pile up
- Westland withholds $100,000 from Priority Waste over missed trash pickups, warns more penalties could follow
- Priority Waste promised trash pickup by Thursday. It's Friday and some residents are still waiting
In the letter, Johnson said they are embracing a culture of continuous improvement and the plan is to build a stronger and more reliable company.
Watch below: Chesterfield Township residents frustrated as trash sits uncollected for nearly 2 weeks
"We will continue to communicate openly, share our progress, and hold ourselves accountable for delivering measurable results. Most importantly, we are committed to earning back your trust, not through words alone, but through sustained improvement and reliable performance which we have detailed for you below," the letter reads.
Johnson outlined the five-point plan that features: Fleet expansion, staffing enhancements, container reinvestment, customer service improvements and recovery operations.
According to Johnson, Priority has purchased 198 trucks and 91 new automated side-load collection vehicles. He also said they have hired 41 new drivers and the goal is to maintain 20% excess driver capacity.
"Over the coming weeks, we anticipate increased operational demands surrounding the Fourth of July holiday, which will provide another opportunity to further strengthen our operations and services," the letter reads.
While some residents are hopeful, others doubt the promises.
“They keep saying they’re gona fix things, fix things, and then here we are how many weeks later and still not resolved," Taylor resident Jeanine Trezona said.
Trezona says her recycling has only been picked up twice in the last six weeks.
“It needs to get picked up! That’s what we pay for," Trezona's neighbor Dee Seymour said.
Meanwhile Garden City posted on their Facebook that they are working with Priority Waste to address some of the issues, advising residents on how to report missed pickups.
“They just don’t pick it up like they’re supposed to," Garden City resident Tommy Downing said.
