Waste Management will be fined for the second month in a row based on missed collection complaints.
Omaha received 1,609 complaints in June, 1244 garbage and recyclable complaints and 365 yard waste complaints. Omaha's contract with Waste Management allows for "liquid damages", or fines, when the number of complaints exceed either 1,000 missed garbage and recyclable pickups or 700 reports of missed yard waste pick up. The City will fine Waste Management $28,453.53.
In June, Omaha issued Waste Management a $27,644.90 fine based on 1,875 complaints. The fine is determined by a formula using the number of collection days in the month and the number of complaints.
Omaha will also reduce June's payment to Waste Management by $44,000 for failure to provide separate collection of yard waste. The contract with Waste Management requires them to provide separate collections April through November. Waste Management informed the city that they were not able to fulfill that requirement due to a shortage of employees. Omaha will reduce payments each month that Waste Management does not provide separate yard waste collections.
"We have a contract with Waste Management and we expect them to provide on-time and complete service, " said Mayor Jean Stothert. "We will continue monthly reviews of service related complaints and assess additional penalties as allowed by our contract."