Rolling Hills Estates committee presses Republic Services on missed pickups, trash spillage and mother-truck staging

At a Rolling Hills Estates Solid Waste and Recycling Committee meeting Tuesday, committee members, city staff, residents and representatives of Republic Services discussed recurring service failures — including missed collections that intensified around Labor Day, trash spilling from collection vehicles and safety problems where large “mother” trucks stage — and directed staff and the company to pursue several operational fixes.

The discussion grew out of repeated resident complaints received by staff since late May and a public turnout at the Oct. 11 city council meeting, city staff said. Committee members and residents described missed pickups on entire routes, trash falling from trucks and repeated use of the same two long-duration staging locations for larger transfer trucks (referred to in the meeting as “mother trucks”), which residents say concentrates noise, odor and traffic impacts on a small number of streets.

Why it matters: Committee members said the problems affect roughly the city’s 700 properties, create safety hazards when a mother truck blocks a travel lane and lower residents’ confidence in service. Staff and Republic agreed the issues require near-term operational changes plus follow-up reporting so the council and community can track progress.

Republic Services explanations and immediate fixes Republic representatives told the committee the recent spike in missed pickups stemmed from an unusually high short-term staffing shortage across the company’s Los Angeles market. “It quite frankly just came down to that,” a Republic Services operations representative, Miguel, said. He said the operation saw roughly 17 or 18 drivers out during the worst period versus a typical five to seven; California leave-of-absence and light-duty cases added to the shortage.

Republic said it is rolling out driver aids and routing tools to reduce navigation errors — a tablet mapping system called Ryze — and increasing training and supervision. Miguel said the company had discussed hiring temporary workers but faced restrictions under its union contract; he told the committee he was negotiating with union leadership to allow temporary hires during holiday peaks.

Service problems residents reported Residents and staff recounted several recurring problems: - Missed collections: Committee members said whole routes went without service on Sept. 11 and 12, and residents reported multiple days or “cycles” without pickup in late summer. - Trash spillage and overfilled beds: Multiple speakers said trash was falling from small “scooter” collection trucks into neighborhoods and onto roads when crews were working quickly or overfilling beds. The committee asked Republic to reinforce tarp/netting use when vehicles travel to mother trucks. - Bottle collection and sorting: Some residents said workers were pulling recyclables or bottles from customer bags during collection and leaving loose trash along streets. - Traffic and safety: A resident described a mother truck stopping on Crest Road West near Quail Ridge North and blocking a travel lane for extended periods, creating sightline and safety concerns.

Staging locations and routing City staff reminded the committee that the city has an approved list of multiple staging locations (the packet references earlier approvals, including lists dating to 02/2010 and 2018). Residents and staff said Republic currently uses only two primary staging sites — on South Portuguese Bend and on “George F” — and that trucks often remain at a single location all day. That practice, residents said, concentrates disruption and lengthens drive times for crews.

City staff and Republic agreed to explore rotating or reusing additional approved staging sites to reduce driving distances and localized impacts. City staff said council had previously approved the list of sites and that, if Republic is willing to use alternate approved locations, the city can administratively change which approved site is used on a given day and will notify the public; adding entirely new sites would likely return to council following input from traffic safety staff.

Requested follow-up and operational actions Committee members and staff asked for several concrete follow-ups: - Republic and city staff to review the approved staging-site list, ask drivers for site recommendations and identify candidates for safe, rotated staging in consultation with the city’s traffic-safety engineer. - Republic to provide an updated set of written answers to city routing and staging questions in the packet and to update those answers if conditions have changed since 2018. - Republic to maintain or resume regular site inspections, morning huddles and increased supervision of newer employees; staff and Republic to coordinate on power washing of roads where collection has left residue. - City and Republic to set a recurring touchpoint — meeting participants suggested a monthly administrative update (via Zoom/Teams) and weekly on-the-ground checks by Republic’s local lead (Miguel) — and to schedule ride‑alongs with staff and council members to observe routes (committee asked staff to help coordinate through Don at Republic). - Resident and city complaint logs to be shared: the city will provide the calls it has logged to complement Republic’s internal complaint reports so both parties can maintain a paper trail for follow-up.

Other operational notes Republic said green waste and household waste are handled separately and that the mother truck typically moves once per day to dump household waste and again for green waste, rather than relocating multiple times during the day. The city confirmed a planned road closure and paving of Portuguese Bend Road from Oct. 30 through Nov. 10; Republic was told mother trucks will not be allowed on Portuguese Bend during that period and must access service via Crest Road gates.

No formal action was taken at the committee meeting. Staff and Republic agreed to an administrative follow-up and to return with a commitment on rotating the George F staging location or otherwise reducing the time any single mother truck spends at one site.

Next steps and public follow-up City staff will coordinate an administrative meeting with Republic representatives and at least one committee member to identify candidate staging locations, gather route-driver input and set the monthly touchpoint. The committee asked that the city and Republic return to the next formal meeting with an agreed plan and timelines for: rotating staging locations, improved crew practices to prevent spillage, a complaint-sharing protocol and a schedule for ride‑alongs.