Private trash hauler reduces pickups across Fairfax County

More trash service is being disrupted by staffing issues in the industry.

Starting April 18, American Disposal Services will reduce pickups from twice a week to once a week across Fairfax County amid ongoing labor issues that have hit the industry during the pandemic, a customer representative for the private hauler confirmed.

The company merged with Waste Connections in 2018, a Houston-headquartered publicly traded company that had revenue in 2021 of nearly $6.2 billion, an increase of around 13% from its total of nearly $5.5 billion in 2020. Revenue in 2019 was $5.4 billion.

Competition for workers with other delivery services, such as Amazon, have meant disruptions in service across the country.

American Disposal Services says on its website that it currently has openings for drivers, mechanics, customer service, and more.

A search with Waste Connections’ career section showed 21 openings in Virginia and 865 vacancies across the U.S. and Canada.

While American Disposal Services did not provide data on how many customers it has in Fairfax County, about 90% of residents and business get trash and recycling collection services through a private company, according to the county.