HOUSTON – Residents at a Medical Center apartment complex are upset about a garbage build-up just steps away from their homes.
“It’s definitely concerning,” said a person who only wanted to be identified as Victoria. “It’s the first time something like this has happened since I’ve lived here.”
Residents told KPRC 2 they noticed the pileup after Thanksgiving.
The compost heap continues to build, with flies buzzing around and a foul smell lingering in the air.
Some residents said they were told the issue is a broken compactor at the trash chute.
Greystar, the company that owns the 8181 Med Center Apartment Complex, and nearly 70 apartment buildings in the greater Houston area, responded to the trash pileup with the following statement:
“We notified Waste Management immediately after we noticed the compactor wasn’t operating properly. The compactor required repairs that were delayed because parts needed to be ordered. We requested daily service on the replacement roll-back container in the interim. We would later discover that due to shortages of containers and staff related to the pandemic, daily service was reduced to three-day-a-week service. The roll-back was removed today, the replacement was delivered late this afternoon and the excess trash has been picked up. The repaired compactor is scheduled to be installed tomorrow. We apologize to our residents for the inconvenience.”
Background information and Event Timeline
- Nov. 29: We discovered the compactor wasn’t working correctly and immediately called Waste Management to schedule repairs.
- Dec. 2: The technician inspected the compactor and determined that for repairs to be made, parts had to be ordered. We asked for a 30-foot roll-back be delivered daily until the compactor could be repaired.
- Dec. 7: We noticed the container had not been picked up as expected. We called Waste Management and we were told that due to container and staff shortages, the roll-back could only be serviced on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We requested they resume daily service but were told it would take a few business days to process that request.
- Dec. 8: The rollback was removed with its replacement arriving late in the afternoon. Our team placed the excess trash in the replacement rollback. During the day, we were informed that the compactor’s repairs were complete and installation was scheduled for Dec. 9.
Residents said they were told the problem will be resolved soon, but many say it can’t come fast enough.
“I guess it’s been generally fine since I lived here, but it’s unusual and I get concerned about pests and things like that,” Victoria said.
