r/bothell • u/JFrankParnell64 • 13d ago
Recology is the Worst. I would never have believed Waste Management was not a low.
Last week they didn't pick up my recycle. If you call them about it they tell you that you are getting that service for free and to just leave more out next week. I live at the very end of a street that goes right into my garage up my very steep driveway. I do not have the option of leaving my bins on the right side of the road, because that is my neighbor's driveway. I leave them at the point of a small triangle between our properties that is HOA vacant land. I have done this for the last 20 years that I have lived here. Sure there have been missed collections now and then, but lately it is getting worse. This week I had the day off. I heard first the garbage truck coming up the street. I see that he stopped short of my bin, and the next thing I know I hear his backup beeper going off. I chased him to the end of the street and asked him if he was going to pickup my garbage or not. He said that was and he was just backing up, because he couldn't reach my can with his grabber. Like he has never heard of actually getting out of the truck and moving the bin and positioning it near the grabber. He did come back and did exactly that. I think he was just going to leave the first time. Then I hear the recycle truck coming up the street. Exact same thing, except he was headed out. I caught up to him and asked the same question. He responded that he can't get to my bin without driving on my driveway and he is not allowed to do that. I told him that my bins have been in the same location for 20 years and I've never had a problem. He just stared blankly at me, and in order to get my recycle disposed of, he made me wheel my bin down to the end of the street so he could use his claw. It's like he didn't want to get out of his air conditioned truck. I emailed Recology, and their crappy customer service is no use. I have talked to them on the phone before and that is even worse.
As a price comparison. 2015 was the last year we had Waste Management. We paid roughly $35/month. Bothell switched to Recology, and the price went to $55/month. We are now paying $120/month.