Staffing issues at Waste Management, the trash collection agency contracted by McCandless, likely caused missed residential trash pickups in the township over the past month, a company official said. "Missed pickups can occur for a number of reasons. In McCandless, missed pickups have been caused by a strain on staffing,” said Erika Deyarmin, a Waste Management public affairs coordinator for Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. "While the resident may not have received service on their normally scheduled day, we are returning within 24-hours to recover their material.” McCandless Council President Michael Tarle said at the the June 13 council meeting that several residents have contacted McCandless offices to report missed trash pick-ups. "We are seeing a drastic uptick in complaints from the community on trash or recycling, or yard waste is not being picked up,” he said. In an update at the June 27 meeting, Trisha Greathouse, interim town manager, said McCandless officials are following up on the issue. A lot of new drivers were on routes, some missing whole developments, she said. Waste Management is working to put two drivers in the truck to help with training, she said. McCandless staff will continue to monitor the issue. "They have put a path forward for additional training. They had a lot of new (employees) like a lot of businesses in the area,” she said. McCandless was able to assess Waste Management "roughly” $2,900, she said. This could basically be considered a fine. It’s hard to know exactly how many residents were affected because missed pickups could be reported directly to the trash collection agency, and not McCandless, said John Bojarski, public information officer for the Town of McCandless. The current contract with Waste Management began on Jan. 1 and extends to Dec. 31, 2026. The town also had a contract that ran from 2016 to 2021. Residents can have trash, recycling and yard waste picked up by the garbage company. It also offers hazardous household waste and electronic waste recycling. The company suggests placing carts at the curb before 7 p.m. the night before a scheduled collection day. Collections run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, unless delayed for holiday pickup, according to a customer handbook found on the McCandless website, www.townofmccandless.org. If a cart is not out by the time the truck arrives at a household, a resident will have to wait until the following week for service. Residents should retrieve carts by the end of collection day no later than 7:30 p.m. Greathouse said residents who experienced a missed pickup should contract Waste Management customer service as well as McCandless front desk receptionist Joanne Steigerwald, who will relay all missed pickups to Waste Management. Residents should let McCandless know their pickup details so they can assess better how the contractor is providing service, Greathouse said. McCandless Township contact number is 412-364-0616. Waste Management states online that residents with containers at the curb by the appointed time on collection day and not emptied by 7 p.m. should call 1-800-592-9995. A form to report a missed pickup is available electronically at www.wm.com. McCandless has partnered with Ohio Township on its waste management contract since 2011. Natalie Beneviat is a Trib Total Media contributing writer. and help us continue covering the stories that matter to you and your community.