Trash talk: Polk County officials, garbage company disagree over service delivery

For months, Polk County Commissioners have made a public stink over its trash collection contractor, saying they’re consistently missing curbside pick-up from too many households within its service area each week.

Prepared to sever ties with FCC Environmental, County Attorney Randy Mink sent a letter to the Texas-based company on Jan. 6 informing them that they’ve failed to meet performance requirements stipulated in the contract.

They have 30 days to show improvement or risk losing the job.

Shape up: Polk County officials to contracted waste hauler: Shape up in 30 days or lose the job

But in the latest dust-up in the saga, the FCC's Chief Executive Officer Inigo Sanz says the company hasn’t failed to uphold its end of the agreement.

“Based on our investigation, we respectfully disagree with your conclusion that FCC has materially defaulted under the agreement,” Sanz wrote in a four-page letter to Mink on Jan. 11. “Despite the county’s assertion, the County has provided no evidence to support that claim.”

The letter cites COVID-19 and rapid county growth as problems, but that missed pickups account for less than 1% of the residents currently within FCC’s scheduled routes.

“While we are taking significant steps to remedy the current issues, the situation does not rise to the level of significance required to meet the Agreement’s defined standard for a ‘material default.’” Sanz wrote in the letter obtained by The Ledger.

County Attorney Mink said at a meeting Friday that he disagrees with FCC.

“Their response is not unexpected,” he told commissioners. “They say one percent of customers are complaining, but we disagree. We aren’t going to get into a letter battle with them.”

Commissioners are willing to wait and see what improvements are made through the end of the 30-day ultimatum the county imposed on the company.

“I’ve always said these people weren’t capable of doing this job, but they are making movement to rectify the jam they are in,” said Commissioner Rick Wilson. “We did say they had 30 days. They now have a week and a half.”

Letter from FCC cites COVID, growth as challenges beyond its control

The letter from FCC says that COVID-19 has presented many new obstacles as it relates to FCC’s services under the agreement:

Examples given:

• An increase in tonnage and quantities of more than 20% as a result of more residents working from home, quarantine and overall confinement

• Staffing issues as infection rates continue to rise

“COVID-19 has undoubtedly been an event beyond the reasonable control of FCC and an unavoidable event despite FCC’s exercise of due care,” Sanz wrote.

In addition, the letter mentions the rate of the growth the county has seen since the contract was inked in 2016.

The most recent home count for FCC, the letter says, was increased from 77,585 residents to 78,456, an increase of 771 households.

“As such, it has been a challenge to maintain expected staffing levels while simultaneously handling the increased needs of the county,” Sanz wrote, later adding, “Despite these challenges, FCC has continued, and will continue, to provide quality waste collection services in performance of its obligations to the County.”

Proposed solutions

The letter from FCC says that the company has increased its Polk County fleet, increased number of drivers and increased compensation.

In addition, Sanz said that the company is now planning to subcontract with a third-party company (scheduled to start this week) to help alleviate the situation and provide a short-term solution in improving scheduled collections until normal tonnages return.

The letter also requests that the county, in recognition of current challenges, work with FCC in “reducing and/or alleviating some of FCC’s required services until we see normalized conditions in Polk County.”

The letter does not specify which services should be reduced.

Commissioners continue to express dissatisfaction

Residents of unincorporated Polk County pay $206 a year in their tax bill for once-a-week trash pick-up.

The county contracts with two companies to handle residential collection at a total cost of $21.2 million. Waste Management serves the east side of the county while FCC serves the west side.

Both are under contract through 2024.

The complaints about missed collections through much of 2021 have been geared at FCC, not Waste Management.

There were 1,248 complaints in July.: Haulers had to pick up Saturday shifts

At a meeting in December, the commission voted to put FCC under a 30-day notice, directing Mink to send his letter.

On Friday, days after FCC sent its letter, commissioners continued to express dissatisfaction with the company.

“It ain’t getting no better,” said Commissioner George Lindsey.

He added, “We aren’t going to go from unsatisfactory to satisfactory in 30 days, but we’ve got to monitor the progress toward satisfactory.”

A South Carolina native, Dustin covers Polk County government and county-wide issues. He can be reached at dwyatt@gannett.com or on Twitter @LLDustin_Wyatt.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Contract with Polk County trash hauler in jeopardy