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I spent 15 minutes On Hold this morning with Allied. All I wanted to ask, was if the masses of Styrofoam I've gotten through deliveries are recyclable with the plastic recycles. They are marked with the typical recycle symbols, but I thought I'd ask. When somebody finally tended to my call, the answer was No. The fellow told me to bring it into San Carlos myself, otherwise to dump it in the normal garbage or bring to a packing company to see if they want it. What a waste! And could somebody please tell these folks that they need a few more attendants tending to the phones!

– Written by Jen

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8 responses to “Allied Waste (what a waste!)”

  1. Rich Grogan

    Contact County Supervisor Jerry Hill. This is something he has been working on and he needs to hear stories such as this. Jerry email address is: JHill@co.sanmateo.ca.us

    We, all, need to flood the County Supervisors with emails and letters regarding substandard service or poor customer relations. This has been an on going problem and the only way we can shine a light on this subject is to let our elected officials know what is going on.

  2. james

    I’ll bet the guy working his way down my street tonight collecting cans and bottles makes enough in a year to pay for another operator. Call the cops when you see these people.

  3. Anonymous

    James, what a silly little town we live in that we should call the cops.

    I separate my cans and put them in a box called “soda cans”. That way “these people” don’t have to work their way through my plastic water/wine bottles/dog food cans to find my soda cans.

    My question has always been – perhaps our understaffed police force should be dealing with important “crime” like drug dealing, domestic violence, etc. and not “these people” recycling my cans? Geez!

  4. Anonymous

    Noon on Thursday, (garbage day in our neck of the woods), and still no pick-up. What’s with this company? They really don’t have their act together.

  5. Rich Grogan

    Jen, the contract only addresses the day of pick up, not the time. If all of the routes are filled out your pick up should be around the same time each week. If there are short routes, then the company has to hold over routes, that have completed their respective routes and service the open routes, which happening on your route. If you do not receive service today, make sure you contact the company and report a FORGOT or NO PICK UP. Send Jerry Hill an email with your issue.

  6. Matilda

    Do you people have nothing else to worry about? Consider yourselves extremely lucky if you have the time and energy to complain about who’s collecting cans and what time the garbage pickup is! I wish I was so lucky.

  7. Rich Grogan

    Forever helpful Allied Waste. Below is a copy of an email I sent to Allied Waste. Below that email is the response I received from Allied Waste. Do you feel, if the answer was unknown, someone would have wanted to know the answer, did the research, and passed it on to me under the guise of CUSTOMER SERVICE?
    I will be in touch with the Police as well asJerry Hill.
    **********************************************
    Regarding Recycle items left at the curb, is it a crime for an individual to go from house to house and remove specific items from the recycle containers that are placed at the curb for pick up. When the recycle items are placed at the curb, who is the owner of the recycled items prior to being picked up by the recycle driver? Please, provide me with the specific statute(s) as well as any case law that addresses this issue?
    *******************************************
    You will need to make a report to the city.
    Thank You

  8. Rich Grogan

    Allied Waste wasn’t very helpful, but Chief Van Etten was. Here is the answer everyone has been waiting for:
    *********************************************
    Pursuant to our City Code (8.16.050 B), “recyclables placed at the curb of residential properties or placed for collection at other recycling locations for pickup by a franchisee or licensee shall become the property of the franchisee or licensee at the time of their placement in the recycling containers or otherwise set out for collection.”

    Allied Waste would be the owner of the recyclables.

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