CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Trash was finally picked up in neighborhoods across the Charlotte region.
Residents rang in the new year with a stinky mess because it took weeks for garbage to be picked up.
Carolina Disposal is responsible for trash pickup in several local subdivisions, but the garbage was piling up on curbs.
Jimmy Marcus was in his Lake Wylie yard, taking out the rest of his Christmas trash.
He said the trash along the curb in his neighborhood has been piling up for weeks.
"It would be nice if they would do what they're supposed to do,” Marcus said.
“When was the last time before today that your trash was picked up?” Channel 9 asked.
"It was either Dec. 14 or Dec. 15.”
Carolina Disposal ran its route Wednesday through neighborhoods along Highway 49 and Highway 55 near Clover.
Resident Kristy Strong said she emailed the company, but the garbage hauler wouldn't say when its trucks would be coming out or explain the delay.
"A lot of neighbors were like, ‘Are you the house with the trash on the lawn, and I'm like, ‘Yes,’ and so my husband took it to the dump."
On Tuesday, Channel 9 John Paul reported from the Chapelgate neighborhood outside Rock Hill, which dealt with the same unsightly issue.
Resident Gabe Ballog said he's had enough.
[ [ALSO READ: Trash collector gives boy, 2, toy garbage truck] ]
"It's just been excuse after excuse," said Ballog. "You've got dirty diapers piling up. And then with the rain, and the boxes getting wet. Hopefully, it doesn't get too hot so it starts stinking."
His garbage had been sitting outside his home near Rock Hill for weeks.
"They kept telling us they were running behind, they would come pick it up on Saturday. Saturday would come. Nothing would happen," said Ballog.
[ [ALSO READ: Garbage piling up after trash collection company suddenly goes under] ]
Channel 9 drove through his subdivision and saw bin after bin overflowing. Nearly half of his neighbors were waiting for their trash to be picked up.
As the trash is piling up, so are the questions. Channel 9 had some questions of our own for Carolina Disposal, so we reached out to try to get answers.
We called the company, but no one answered.
Carolina Disposal told customers it was down trucks because one caught fire, according to a post on its Facebook page.
Ballog's neighborhood isn't the only one impacted. The company services neighborhoods across the Carolinas.
We found the same mess in Creekshire Estates outside Charlotte.
Cameron Banning just wants a refund so she can move on without the trash piling up in her yard.
"How long has that been sitting there? Um, that has been sitting there since Dec. 12, so almost three weeks," said Banning. "We have sent probably five or six emails. We have called seven or eight times. At least five voicemails... It's pretty frustrating. All we want is to get our trash picked up. To get our refund."
Allison Love, a York County councilwoman, started looking into it after getting complaint calls.
"Oh, they're just very upset about what to do and who to call,” said Love, about the complaints.
Love said she contacted the company months ago about similar complaints, and they were not responsive.
"We've just got loads and loads of Christmas packages and party trash and stuff like that that needs to be picked up,” Love said.
Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:
- Police identify man killed after being hit by several cars, dragged 1,000 feet
- Officials say unattended candles caused fire that killed child, hurt 6 other people
- FDA says certain antibiotics could rupture main artery
- FORECAST: Temps cool into 50s with more wet weather on the horizon
- Police searching for Huntersville girl missing since Christmas