For most of the summer, trash collection in Pennsburg was not completed on the designated day. Following a meeting with a representative from the borough's trash hauler, municipal officials hope the issues have been resolved.

            In the week immediately following a Dec. 9 meeting between Council Member Wayne Stevens and Chris Hollinger, a route manager with Waste Management, municipal officials received no resident complaints, according to council President Diane Stevens.

            Both parties left the meeting on the same page, according to Wayne Stevens.

            "[Hollinger] was very much willing to work with us," said Wayne Stevens, chair of the borough's waste and recycling committee.

            According to Diane Stevens, borough officials requested the meeting to address multiple issues with the company, based locally at 197 Swamp Creek Road in Douglass Township. She claimed that since June, trash and recycling pickup in the borough – which occurs every Wednesday – spilled over into Thursday approximately 90 percent of the time.

            "We were getting a lot of complaints," the council president said.

            Municipal officials – who announced the interaction during the Dec. 12 council meeting – were eager to help the company rectify the situation, according to Diane Stevens. In July, council approved a new three-year contract with Waste Management. The agreement, which begins in January, includes two one-year options through 2026.

            "We're very happy with Waste Management," she said. "They have worked with us for years. We didn't want this situation to get to the point where they would be in breach of contract."

            According to Diane Stevens, Hollinger explained that his company is dealing with equipment issues and a shortage of mechanics and drivers. He also claimed that the driver who regularly covered Pennsburg moved to Florida two months ago.

            The presence of two-additional trash bags – along with the company issued 96-gallon toters for trash and recyclable items – may have helped slow the process, according to the council president. She said the driver has to dismount his truck and dispose of the bags, permitted in the borough's current contract, at certain homes.

            A couple of residents were setting more trash out than is permitted for pickup, according to Diane Stevens. She said the driver will tag those items which are not allowed.

            Bulk pickups will be made Tuesday. Residents are now required to contact Waste Management directly to make payment arrangements, according to the council president.