Trash piling up in Springfield neighborhood after winter storm delays services

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Trash is piling up in a Springfield neighborhood.

Some houses in the Royal Oaks neighborhood are day three of a delay of trash services.

“I've attempted to contact the trash service, you get a recording at best. That's it,” said Royal Oaks resident Chris Dillard. “I've not heard anything from the HOA other than that they've attempted to contact as well.”

Friday’s winter storm caused a delay of trash pick up from Republic Services. 

“Anytime there's a holiday or there's something of a delay, it's usually it's always one day delay,” said Tim Armstrong. “ And so that's why we're that's where we kind of surprise and we're like nothing yet, really?”

Armstrong and his wife, Amanda, have lived in Royal Oaks since 2020. They tell OzarksFirst this is the longest delay in trash services they’ve seen.

“At this point, we're just leaving our trash can out in the front with trash over piling in it and that is frustrating,” Amanda Armstrong said.

Republic Services normally picks up trash on Fridays.

“We figured, you know it’s a day delayed,” Armstrong said. “Usually by Saturday or Sunday we would have had it taken care of. So I thought, well, surely today.”

But some houses in Royal Oaks still had their bins overflowing at the end of the day on Monday.

“It's happened, but not to this level,” said Dillard. “This is ridiculous.”

Dillard has lived in Royal Oaks for five years.

“Extreme inconvenience,” Dillard said. “I'm actually going to have store hauling off trash in the back of my truck at some point because there's just no other no other way we can get around it.”

One neighbor here tells OzarksFirst when she called the trash company, they said they would not be able to pick up for another week. That will leave some Royal Oaks neighbors without trash services for two weeks in total.

“Most likely we're going to have to store some of our trash bags in our garage because we're going to run out of room,” Amanda said.

OzarksFirst has called Republic Services, gone to their office on W. Bennett Street and emailed their media line. This was their email response:

Thank you for your inquiry. Due to weather causing unsafe driving conditions, there was a delay in service.  The customers impacted by weather will be picked up this week on their regular service day.  We will take any additional material that does not fit into customers’ containers. 

Thank you, Republic Services Media Relations