Residents and council press Republic Services on missed pickups; mayor says tracking tool will go live Feb. 13

Residents told the Georgetown City Council on Feb. 10 that curbside trash collection has become inconsistent since the city switched from a municipally run landfill contract to a private service provider.

At the meeting, Steve Glass described repeated missed pickups and said the city’s policy, not simply the contractor, is responsible for what gets collected. “We as residents deserve better,” Glass said during public comments, describing mattresses and other bulky items that he said sit for long periods.

Other public commenters echoed problems with service reliability and with Republic Services’ customer call centers. One resident said trucks sometimes leave a route early and do not return for missed houses, and that scheduling staff are difficult to reach. The council and staff acknowledged multiple citizen emails and phone calls raising the same concerns.

Mayor Jenkins said city staff had a “very healthy conversation” with Republic Services and that the company will roll out an online tracking tool for collection routes and truck locations on Feb. 13. The mayor said the app will let residents see where a truck is and should indicate whether a customer’s address was missed for a reason (for example, blocked cans or vehicles in the way). He also said Republic has committed to operational coaching, route sequencing reviews and occasional ride-alongs with drivers.

Council members requested clearer communication and regular attendance by the contractor at council meetings. Several members asked the mayor to schedule Republic Services to attend a council meeting to answer residents’ questions directly.

No formal action was taken at the Feb. 10 meeting; council members said they want periodic operational updates and a company representative to return to a future meeting.