UPDATE:
A Theodore apartment tenant now has trash pickup thanks to our report.
As NBC15's Lisa Librenjak reported.. No one had picked up Ashlen Robinson's trash for nearly a month.
During our investigation we found her home on Belwood Drive was not in the city limits and Waste Management said they no longer do residential pickups.
After our story aired, the Waste Management owner spoke with Miss Robinson and arranged for waste pro to pick up her garbage.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A resident on Belwood Drive West in Theodore said she's being taken on an endless loop of "you need to call somebody else" to get her garbage picked up. The woman's landlord is the one who reached out to NBC 15 and said he's not getting any answers either.
Ashlen Robinson moved into her home in Theodore almost a month ago. Since then, she's been piling up her trash and doubling up what she can to make sure it doesn't smell too bad.
"When I moved in, I was told that Waste Management, some company, would come pick it up and that I would have to pay, of course that's fine. Well I called them and they said, "we're not accepting anymore clients," Robinson said.
So after calling Waste Management, Robinson said she called American Waste.
"And they said it'll be about two or three months before they're accepting clients," Robinson added.
Robinson's landlord stepped in and said he was given the same runaround as her. Both of them were told to call the city of Mobile. The two of them did but said they they never got a call back. Either way, Robinson's home is not in the city limits, it's only in the city's police and fire jurisdiction.
"Each time a tenant comes through in the past, they have just said to leave the can there and then as soon as you know have a new tenant, just tell them to call and we'll start the new service," Robinson's landlord Tony Blackmon said.
Which is why a Waste Management trash can has been sitting on Robinson's property, full and ready to be dumped. Other cans on the street that also appear to be serviced by Waste Management are getting picked up. But when NBC 15 asked Waste Management about this, it said they no longer do residential pickups, only commercial.
"Like I said, I called my neighbor and said which company do you use now, just to make sure there were no changes that I was unaware of. He gave me Waste Management's number and said they're the ones that serve him," Blackmon said.
Blackmon, Robinson's landlord, said he's never dealt with a situation like this and it's surely never been this complicated. Robinson said she's equally as shocked.
"Never been told NO, I can't pick up your trash," Robinson said.
NBC 15 was able to get in touch with American Waste on Tuesday, which is the other company Blackmon and Robinson reached out to that services that area. An official there told us they are at capacity along that route on Belwood Drive West, but will accommodate what they can if it's needed.
After our story aired, we received a statement from Waste Management District Manager Michael Finley:
“Waste Management is no longer servicing residential pick-ups in Mobile and the surrounding areas. Effective, June 1, 2022, Waste Pro took over the residential contract in the area. In taking over the service, Waste Pro bought Waste Management’s carts. It appears that the cart’s have yet to be replaced with ones marked for Waste Pro. We do realize this may cause some confusion and encourage residents to contact Waste Pro about their carts and service.”