A fight over rising fuel costs between three trash contractors and Montgomery County could leave residents with heaps of uncollected garbage, a project manager for one of the companies said Tuesday.
Unity Disposal and Recycling, Ecology Services, and Potomac Disposal Services want to renegotiate their contracts with the county, seeking relief from rising fuel costs that they said are threatening to drive them out of business.
The companies have lost more than $1.28 million since August, said Sam Evans, a project manager for Unity. Evans said they have asked the council for relief three times since last summer but were turned down. Anne Arundel and Howard counties have worked with them to help cover the rising costs of fuel, Evans said.
Evans would not rule out a strike.
“We might have to take a day off to show them that we have to conserve energy,” Evans said Wednesday. “We have to get our point across.”
Montgomery County Council Member George Leventhal, chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, said he did not know about the threat of a strike and would not comment on it. He said he plans to meet with representatives for the companies this week.
“They signed a contract to deliver services,” Leventhal said. “If you open up this contract, you have to open up hundreds of contracts.”
Trash collection
» Unity Disposal and Recycling, Ecology Services, and Potomac Disposal Services have lost more than $1.28 million since August.
» The companies buy more than 4,000 gallons of fuel each weekday.
» The three companies pick uptrash from more than 208,000 Montgomery County homes, making 300,000 pickups per week.
– Source: Unity Disposal and Recycling project manager
Sam Evans
