After weeks of missed curbside trash pickups and mounting frustration, Penn Hills officials have rolled out a dedicated hotline so residents can report overflowing bins in one place instead of flooding council meetings with complaints.
Neighbors told council members that piles of uncollected garbage were turning into both a nuisance and a potential safety issue. In response, the municipality funneled all trash complaints to a single number, hoping to cut through the chaos.
As reported by WTAE, the new hotline at 724-887-9400 was created so residents can report missed pickups directly to the town. Councilwoman Diane Fitzhenry told the meeting she had spoken with Republic Services about the backlog roughly 30 minutes before the session and said, "all issues should be resolved by the end of the business day Tuesday."
According to WTAE, council member Pauline Calabrese said Republic Services is dealing with staffing shortages that have contributed to missed runs. Fitzhenry added that the hauler planned to pick up a couple more streets the following morning and then begin Tuesday's scheduled routes.
Town Contacts And Official Guidance
The municipality's official trash page lists Allied (Republic) Waste Services as the town hauler and directs customers to Republic's support line at 1-877-788-9400. According to the Municipality of Penn Hills, residents should keep carts at the curb until collection is complete and check the town bulletin board for updates whenever routes fall behind.
Not An Isolated Problem
Penn Hills is not alone in its trash troubles. Similar breakdowns in service, tied to driver shortages and truck problems, have left neighborhoods in other communities without pickup for days or even weeks. In Johnson County, Kan., municipal leaders pushed Republic Services to add more trucks and crews to clear backlogs, a pattern documented by KCUR.
What Residents Should Do Now
Residents who missed a scheduled pickup are being told to call the Penn Hills hotline at 724-887-9400 to log their complaint and to follow up with Republic at 1-877-788-9400 for account-level issues. The municipality's main office remains available at 412-342-1086 for broader concerns, and officials say they will post any route updates on the borough's web bulletin.
Town leaders say they will keep a close eye on collections until service is fully restored and have asked residents for patience while crews work to catch up. Neighbors, for their part, say they plan to keep ringing the hotline and town offices until the last bag is off the curb.
