The garbage bags in front of Lana McCubbins’ Belton home keep piling up.
Every day there’s a new bag of trash. Every day the smell gets worse. And every time she tries to call WCA Waste Corporation, who is responsible for picking up her and her neighbors’ garbage, she is greeted with an automated message.
“Thank you for calling WCA, formerly Town and Country Disposal… We are currently experiencing delays in Belton, Missouri. Please leave all materials curbside for collection.”
McCubbins said her trash has not been picked up for almost two weeks.
“Oh no, it’s not the first time they missed [my garbage]. But it’s the first time it’s gotten this bad,” she told 41 Action News.
This summer complaints over missed garbage pick-ups have piled up throughout the metro, prompting some cities and neighborhood associations to take action.
Prairie Village kicked Deffenbaugh to the curb after receiving more than 300 complaints.
Kansas City’s Director of Neighborhoods and Housing Services met with WCA about the south side of the city.
The biggest problem, according to the trash companies, delaying pickups is a lack of drivers. WCA recently told 41 Action News, while it's close to hiring dozens of new drivers it's struggling to find drivers who can pass drug tests.
“You got to pay $50 every three months for them to pick up your trash. I pay on a regular basis,” said McCubbins. “I’ve never had this [many] problems with them before.”
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Ariel Rothfield can be reached at Ariel.Rothfield@KSHB.com.
