Following months of extensive problems and at least a month without a pick-up, a refuse service has county residents and officials stuck with their anger and piles of trash.

According to residents of the Lowndes County, Alabama area, the Hayneville-based Purdie and Sons Refuse Service has been contracted to pick up garbage throughout a large part of the county, but that service has been far from timely and reliable.

“Every time we call, the garbage truck is broken down or they just didn’t get to it. This is unreal,” resident Jerry Heath told WSFA.

Heath, who falls in the designated contract area of the refuse service’s pick-up, said that it has been a month since his garbage has been picked up.

“They don’t want you burning of your trash so what are you supposed to do? There’s dogs that get in it, foxes, raccoons, and other animals at night. We have to come out here in the morning to clean up because it’s all over the place,” Heath continued.

Resident concerns have not fallen on deaf ears in the least. In fact, county commission members are well aware of the area’s trash troubles and have contacted Purdie and Sons to provide the business with a 30 day notice to fix the present issues with service.

County Commission Chairman Robert Harris addressed area residents and colleagues at Monday night’s meeting, ensuring that work was being done to erase concerns.

“We’re doing everything we can to try to correct the problem. The only thing about is, there are protocols, there’s a contract that we have to deal with. We’ve been doing research trying to find other avenues and trying to rectify the problem,” said Harris according to reports.

While stating that the county commission is doing its due diligence regarding the matter, Harris also notified area residents that they should hold their garbage, as Purdie and Sons resumed its scheduled pick-up service this week following a week of service complications.

According to Harris, the county is presently only 6 months under contract with Purdie and Sons with a tentative 2.5 years left before the county would have the freedom to choose another refuse service–a task that will involve “a lot of moving wheels to look at” when it comes to securing reliable trash service for the 5,000 home county.

When contacted, Purdie and Sons Refuse Service offered no comment regarding the notice, nor its pick-up service schedule.