Despite periodic complaints about service, trash hauler Priority Waste has retained most of the contracts they bought from Green For Life last year.

The bumpy transition to Priority started last summer with criticism from residents in many of the 74 communities affected.

At the time, Priority said GFL trucks were in such bad shape many could not be used and they had ordered repairs as well as new vehicles, according to Priority spokesman Matt Allen. He said the company has since invested nearly $20 million to modernize or replace the GFL trucks.

The only Oakland County community of the 30 Priority customers to switch contracts was Orion Township, which on Jan. 1 switched to Waste Management, which is located in the township.

Priority has faced criticism from other communities over poor service.

Waterford Township received hundreds of complaints per day a year ago, which continued in declining numbers for months. The township’s 25,800 customers require Priority to make, on average, 5,000 stops per weekday.

“We’re seeing some days there are two or three being reported as missed. Some days there are 10 to 12. It varies,” said Deputy Supervisor Shelly Schloss. “This is similar to the performance we experienced with the previous waste hauler as well.”

She said the township sees a surge in complaints after invoices are mailed to residential customers.

“Priority’s billing department has been difficult to reach, especially during those times,” she said, adding that complaints have subsided since quarterly invoices went out in early June.

Macomb Township issued a notice of default to the company last week. Clinton Township officials acknowledged service is not meeting expectations and issued a link on social media for residents to share concerns.

Orchard Lake Village just renewed its Priority contract. Waterford Township approved a one-year extension but issued a request for bids earlier this year. The bids will be open later this month, according to Supervisor Anthony Bartolotta. Other communities are considering contracts on a rolling basis, Allen said.

Pontiac resident Elizabeth Montgomery said her trash hadn’t been picked up for the last half of June and first weeks of July. Montgomery, 87, uses a cane and qualifies for door service, which means the trash hauler moves the container to the curb and returns it to its spot next to her home. After calling the city for help, she said she was told the container was inaccessible despite it being in the same spot next to her home for years, she told The Oakland Press.

Allen did not disclose the number of complaints Priority has received. He said Montgomery’s problem would be resolved as quickly as possible.

“We’re a year removed from a tremendous transition,” Allen said. “Some of the good news is that we’ve been able to stabilize and continue to improve, despite recent weather.”

He said the company fell behind on pickups last month during three extremely hot days and a tornado in Macomb County.

Extreme weather slows down Priority’s schedule mainly because the company takes trucks off the road for employees’ safety.

“We had three other significant heavy rain events that caused a lot of delays from three to four hours,” Allen said. “When you add those up, you’re looking at 12 to 20 hours of lost productivity over a 21-day period of time. That is a lot to recover from … we were working seven days a week to get back to normal.”

The Fourth of July holiday weekend added to the slowdown, he said.

“But we’re past that and looking forward to fewer delays,” he said.

New trucks ordered last year are being delivered, he said, noting that 28 arrived on July 4 and another 22 will be delivered by the end of this month.

He expects about 50 of the former GFL trucks will be scrapped.

Over the last year, Priority has looked for ways to be part of each community. Allen said the company agreed to spend $15,000 to sponsor the annual Pontiac-based Holiday Extravaganza in December. It’s the second year Priority has been a top sponsor for the holiday celebration, a joint effort by Pontiac, Waterford, White Lake and Auburn Hills. Allen said the whole extravaganza cost about $170,000 to produce.

He said other Priority philanthropy includes the sheriff’s police athletic league in Pontiac and free People Mover rides in Detroit, which benefits Oakland County residents who visit the city.