Schertz residents protest new Frontier waste contract, say weekly pickup and large carts reduce service

Dozens of residents used the hearing of residents at the April 15 Schertz City Council meeting to criticize the council’s decision to award the city’s solid-waste franchise to Frontier Waste Solutions and to call for clearer communications about the change.

Speakers said the new contract replaces twice‑weekly trash pickup and weekly recycling in many neighborhoods with once‑weekly trash collection and biweekly recycling, and requires 96‑gallon carts that will be the only containers picked up. “Bottom line for 9,300 accounts, they will be paying more and getting less service than they do presently with Republic,” said Brent Bolter, Belmont Park resident, adding residents may not learn about the change until a new 96‑gallon cart appears at their curb.

Several commenters questioned public outreach and the survey staff cited when recommending the switch. Dana Eldridge, Belmont Park, said the staff presentation referenced “336 individuals” responding to a flash poll while the city has roughly 14,500 accounts for waste service; Eldridge said that level of response does not represent the majority of Schertz residents. Penny Jennings, of Hourless Oaks, said the city’s online poll did not reflect how many households rely on weekly lawn‑bag pickup and other collection practices that will be disrupted by the new schedule: “Picking the cheapest option, taken away one garbage day and one recycle day, was not a great comparison to what many of Schertz residents had,” she told the council.

Speakers also raised specific operational concerns: carts must be positioned so collection trucks can access them, residents said, and a parked car could stop a pickup at a home where the resident otherwise had placed the cart correctly. Daniel Jamieson, who identified himself as a veteran, called a 96‑gallon cart “overkill” for some households.

Speakers said the new pricing was unclear. In public comments, residents cited figures from staff presentations and prior council discussion: they said Republic previously offered a one‑day‑per‑week package for about $22.77–$23 per month, and that staff presentation listed Frontier’s contract at $18.10 per month before a later correction to $19.20 was reported. Several speakers said no council member challenged the change in the quoted price during the April 1 vote.

The forum included requests that the city provide a single point of contact and stronger outreach to neighborhoods and HOAs. Several speakers reported writing council members and being told citizens should not question council decisions; others asked that the city make staff or council more available to answer residents’ questions before service changes begin. No formal council action on the franchise was taken at the April 15 meeting; the public comments were recorded during the hearing of residents.

The council did not respond with a staff presentation at this meeting; city staff previously announced the city intended to direct collection complaints to Frontier rather than to city staff. Residents pressed the council for clearer notice and for assurances that problems with new carts, missed collections or scheduling glitches would be handled promptly.

Ending: The remarks concluded without an immediate policy change; several speakers said they plan to follow the city’s published schedule and look for further outreach from staff and the franchise operator before the new service is broadly implemented.