Priority Waste tells Lincoln Park council it will fix missed pickups; will return in 60 days
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Summary
Priority Waste acknowledged ongoing collection failures in Lincoln Park, promised corporate support and equipment upgrades, and agreed to report back to the city council in 60 days after repeated resident complaints about missed pickups, cans left in streets and damaged carts.
Paul Ruthenberg, a Priority Waste representative, told the Lincoln Park City Council at its July 28 meeting that the company has not yet resolved ongoing trash, recycling, compost and bulk-collection problems that began in April and promised accelerated fixes backed by corporate leadership.
Ruthenberg said Priority Waste’s CEO has directed resources to the city and that the company will push to improve “timely collection of trash, recycling, compost, and bulk that day.” He asked to return to the council in 60 days to report progress.
The exchange followed extended public and council criticism about missed collections, cans left in streets and damaged receptacles. A council member recounted multiple resident complaints and urged Priority Waste to take immediate steps to reduce calls to the mayor’s office and city manager. Residents described yard waste and bulk items sitting for days and, in one case, a missed pickup lasting a week.
Ruthenberg acknowledged the service gap and said corporate support has arrived: “I made our CEO aware of this issue… and he made several calls,” he said. He described operational steps including reassigning employees, adding team leaders and bringing new automated trucks into service; he said Priority Waste had received 29 of an initial 50-truck order and expected additional units. He added that the company has removed some employees from Lincoln Park routes who, in his view, were not meeting standards.
Council members and residents pressed for specifics. Ruthenberg said the company will aim to respond to any missed-home complaint by 9 a.m. the next day and to reduce delays that now last multiple days. He also said some missed collections are tied to equipment limits and staffing and that improved automated side loaders and front-loading (Corrado) trucks — which he said have risen from $350,000 to about $550,000 over three years — will increase hourly pickup capacity.
The meeting also covered recycling performance and contamination. Ruthenberg said Lincoln Park had no contamination issues in February but saw contamination fees assessed in later months (two in February, four in March, 11 in April) and that one April load was rejected outright. He explained contamination typically triggers fees when 8–10% of a truckload is contaminated.
Monique (CDBG director) raised service and language-access concerns, saying some residents with limited English have trouble communicating with collection staff. Ruthenberg invited the city to route complaints through a tracking portal that sends entries directly to Priority Waste and said the company leader and local contacts would use that system to follow up.
No formal action or contract amendment by the council resulted from the presentation. Mayor Tobin and multiple council members urged visible and prompt service improvement and said the council will revisit the issue; Ruthenberg asked to return in 60 days to provide a status update.
Ending
Priority Waste’s commitment to return in 60 days gives the council a near-term checkpoint. Meanwhile, council members urged residents to report missed service through the city portal so Priority Waste and the city can track individual complaints.
