Progressive reports no complaints

There is obviously some confusion at Progressive Waste Solutions. 

According to Area Marketing Manager Dave Clabo, he hasn’t heard any complaints from Acadia Parish citizens regarding the company’s trash pick ups. 

“I haven’t heard anything,” said Clabo Wednesday. “I haven’t been to a police jury meeting down there since February. If anyone has problems with trash being spilled, call us and we have people who will go out and get it.” 

Considering that Clabo was present at the special Acadia Parish Police Jury meeting nearly two weeks ago (July 16) - the sole purpose of which was to talk about trash collection - where he listened to numerous complaints, his statement is a dubious claim to say the least. Among the complaints that have been reported are trash not being picked up, trash being spilled and utility wires being pulled down by collection trucks. 

“They’re insane,” said Police Juror  A.J. “Fatty” Broussard. “They never think they’re wrong. It’s always the resident’s fault.”

Broussard said that last week the entire village of Morse went without garbage pick up, as well as several other upset residents that he, as chairman of the Solid Waste Committee, had to respond to. 

“We’ve had people complain that their trash hasn’t been picked up and when we call Progressive they’ll tell us that it was,” he said. “I know it sounds crazy, but we’re almost at a point where we need to ask citizens to take selfies while they are taking out their garbage so they can prove they put it out.”

Donna Bertrand served as a liaison between Progressive and the residents of Acadia Parish. That all changed following July’s special meeting where she confronted Clabo with a folder full of complaints. 

“I just wanted to know who was responsible,” she said. “I had one man in Rayne who is a taxpayer and a voter who had his utility wires and some of his siding pulled down by a Progressive truck. When we told them about this, they said the wires were run too low.”

Bertrand said that after time passed, she asked the company’s representative if they had contacted the utility company to tell them about their lines. She said they gave her the impression “that they didn’t think that was their responsibility.”  

“I’ve emailed them to let them know I wasn’t going to take complaints any more,” said Bertrand on Wednesday. “Residents would complain to me and I’d apologize to them on (Progressive’s) behalf. For them to try to put the burden of proof on the residents is simply wrong.”

According to Broussard, residents who complain should call either the police jury office or the parish landfill. 

“Calling Progressive is pointless,” he said. “It’s like that saying about putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.”