Waste Management Reviews 1.664

WM operates using unfair and predatory billing practices that appear designed to trap customers and punish them for trying to leave.

Over five years, our commercial dumpster service increased from $78.76/month to $181.48 for the exact same service, while reliability declined. We dealt with missed pickups, repeated billing errors (including being charged for another business’s container despite photo evidence), and hours lost to ineffective customer service.

When WM issued a price increase that required consent, we exercised our contractual right to terminate. WM then delayed removing their container for over seven weeks, despite their own contract requiring removal within days. During that delay, they continued billing, added late fees, and issued a “final” invoice including a $325 removal fee plus surcharges.

WM claims container removal is an “additional service.” It is not. Removal after termination is their contractual obligation. These charges only exist because WM failed to act on time.

Their responses were boilerplate and refused to address missed deadlines or post-termination billing. This appears to be a systemic, bad-faith business model.

Strongly recommend using smaller, local providers instead. They are more transparent, more affordable, and far more ethical.

I would put 0 stars if I could. What I nightmare company. I’ve never experienced such bad service and customer service. And it’s impossible to get a hold of anyone. We’re going on 3 weeks of no trash pickup. Now that I’m fed up, I can’t even cancel… been trying for days!

I have had this service for about 6 months. During that time they haven't picked up 4 times. The first time they said my container wasn't out it was, but i let it slide. The second time they said bad weather but it was a beautiful warm, sunny day. The next time they said bad weather it was againa beautiful day. Thd next time bad weather. This time there WAS bad weather. Any other place I've ever dealt with schedules a pick before my next scheduled pick up. It took ages to get to talk to a real person because it kept trying to keep me in a loop with computers/ AI. When I asked why I am not getting a credit for the weeks they don't pick up I was told "it's policy". When I canceled they were going to charge me a $75 cancelation fee because "it's policy". I spent about 2 hours on the phone with various people asking why I have to pay $75 because of their crappy service, before they finally waived the fee.

BEWARE- they will have a USA company charge you $2.75 on top your pick up fee and call it a "convenice fee". Convenice for whom?? DO NOT USE THEM CALL A CANADIAN COMPANY TO PICK UP YOUR BAG.

When it snows, WM skips picking up the trash for a week although the road is all clear. Today, I cancelled their service, but I was charged $85.86 for 'energy' and "picking up the trash bin" fee. They are crooks and lazy.

WM is incapable of collecting recycling because area is "inaccessible "when the trash can sitting right next to it was collected-clearly accessible. Collecting recycling only once a month when I'm paying for twice a month and then not deducting from bill is poor business practice. Lying from WM customer service is also an issue apparently. No wonder so many neighbors are switching companies. I will be doing the same.

Dear Waste Management,

I am writing to formally document prior communications and outreach related to my account for (Account #xxxx), including statements made to me during my phone call with a Waste Management representative on January 23, 2026.

On December 24, 2025, a Waste Management driver took a photograph of the dumpster at the above location.

On December 29, 2025 at 10:13 AM, I received a phone call in which the caller ID stated “Waste Management” (540-208-4276) regarding concerns with the dumpster. During that call, I stated that I did not believe the dumpster was overfilled, though I was not on-site that day. No additional details were provided during that conversation, such as the possibility of extra fees.

Following that call on December 29, 2025, I spoke with my associates, all of whom confirmed the dumpster was not overfilled and that the lids were able to close. At 1:31 PM the same day, I received an email from Waste Management titled “Heads Up; One or more containers were filled incorrectly,” which included an overage charge of $225 (amounting to more than 2.5 times our normal monthly rate) and an unclear photograph (Reference #xxx.

At 3:05 PM on December 29, 2025, I reviewed our security camera footage, which supports my associates’ statements that the dumpster was not overfilled; however, the footage shows that wind had blown the lids open prior to the garbage truck’s arrival.

At approximately 4:05 PM on December 29, 2025, I contacted the Waste Management associate who had called earlier (540-208-4276) and left a voicemail. In that voicemail, I requested information regarding our contract renewal date and stated that I was dissatisfied with the situation and would prefer to terminate services rather than renew the contract, requesting that this information be sent to me by email.

Please note that I received two emails on January 14, 2026 and January 15, 2026 regarding our regular monthly payment, neither of which included the $225 overage charge. This led me to believe that the overage charge had been disregarded, as I did not receive the requested follow-up, and that the fee would be waived, allowing me to continue the business relationship at that time.

On January 23, 2026, I received another email titled “Your invoice is now ready,” reflecting a balance of $344.83. That same day, at 12:38 PM, I again left a voicemail for the same associate. I also contacted Waste Management online and was provided the number 1-800-866-4460.

At 12:52 PM on January 23, 2026, I spoke with a Waste Management representative, Katelyn, at 1-800-866-4460. During that call, I reviewed the above timeline and reiterated my dissatisfaction and my intent to not continue our business relationship.

During this conversation, Ms. R stated to me, in her own words, that the associate who contacted me on December 29, 2025 was part of a “snapshot team” and did not have access to contract renewal information, and that as a result, my voicemail left for that associate on December 29, 2025 — despite being placed prior to January 1, 2026 and originating from a Waste Management phone number — would not be considered relevant or valid for purposes of contract notice.

The purpose of this email is to ensure that my prior outreach, voicemail notice, and the statements made during my January 23, 2026 phone call are accurately documented in the account record. At this time, I am not selecting any of the options outlined in your recent correspondence, as I understand I have 30 days to make a decision and to speak with my team.

In addition, based on the statements of my associates and review of our security camera footage, I do not agree with the overage charge assessed in Reference #xxxx and do not believe the container was overfilled at the time of service.

I would also like to note that, as a customer, I relied on communications received from a Waste Management phone number and was not aware of internal role limitations regarding which representatives are able to provide contract-related information.

Please confirm receipt of this email and that this information has been added to the account notes.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

My options are to pay $1500 to end our contract, continue with the automatic renewed contract until April 2027 or re negotiate. Never in my life have I felt so robbed by a corporation. We are a small mechanic shop who thought we could trust a well known company. They are charging us $225 for a cardboard that was blown up by the wind. I submitted a picture of my own and video to support this.

If I could give Waste Management zero stars, I would. This company operates less like a utility provider and more like a high-stakes trap designed to bleed customers dry through a lack of transparency and bureaucratic stonewalling.

WM is notoriously opaque about their billing structure. They tack on "overage" charges without ever providing a clear, quantifiable definition of what constitutes one. Is it based on weight? A lid that’s open by a fraction of an inch? They won’t tell you. Their website gives a classic example of "corporate vagueness." It’s designed to give them total discretion to charge you whatever they want, whenever they want. By saying charges "may vary by area" and "can generate" a fee, they are effectively admitting there is no fixed price list or objective standard. It’s a "gotcha" policy. In our area, near Lafayette, Indiana, the overage charge is $225 for failing to close the lid (never mind that we are in a high wind area).

Cancelation is a nightmare. I spent over eight hours on the phone, including multiple times they hung up on me, before I could talk to someone willing to give me the outrageous ransom of $1,457 to cancel.

Ok. While I try to collect some money to pay it, will you at least stop charging me more? The dumpster is empty. I'm not using it. No, there is an undisclosed charge for moving the container. And we will continue to accrue more charges while it sits there empty because they still haven't canceled it.

Their "liquidated damages" clause is a trap designed to bleed you one last time before you go.

Best advice: don't start with Waste Management in the first place. You'll regret it!

~ Dr. David

This company is absolutely the worst. No customer service. They don't answer the phone. You can't add service, you can't move service and you can't ask a question. I have been on hold for hours and no one has come to the line. Horrible

Terrible company to deal with ,I will be getting rid of them ASAP and seeking legal advice , absolutely appalling company please avoid like the plague

Waste Management up here in Washington is even more useless than elsewhere. Like so many these days, they feel they deserve a participation trophy just for showing up. They will use any ridiculous quibble to not pick up your recylce or trash, and now are picking up greenwaste and recycle every other week, which is BS.

Would never deal with this company. Should of done my research. There charging me full Contract all because i missed 1 payment. and they took the bin away. Customer service was horrible she hung up on me. and wasnt helpful at all

We are a community of 340 homes with an HOA. We are provided with 3 Garbage dumpsters and 3 Recycling dumpsters which we pay for “lease”. Owners must take Garbage and Recycling to the dumpsters. WM misses pickups which results in overflowing dumpsters that residents end up cleaning up. We have requested the one of the garage dumpsters be replaced because the garbage falls out the bottom when emptied. WM has not responded to our request yet.

Waste Management drivers leave large amounts of trash behind in the street instead of hauling it away. They continue to dump residential trash into full trucks with bags hitting the top of their piles before rolling completely out of the truck and back into my street and/or driveway. The driver then drives away like nothing happened. After reporting these issues on multiple occasions, I decided to cancel service and move to another provider. Now Waste Management wants to charge me a $75 to come pickup their container. The customer service rep states she could waive the fee if drivers flat out miss pickups but they refuse to waive the fee if the driver only picks up part of your trash. Customer service reps are unwilling to help and hangup and/or transfer you blindly to other representatives. Its a total pass the buck situation at this point. My neighbors have all experienced similar issues as I see trash littered throughout the streets. I'm not the first one to switch to another company.

Just read the reviews. WM is absolutely the worst company I have ever dealt with. I canceled them because they are so terrible. Then they kept billing me for the next nine months. They don't even have cans at my house. I'm spending the whole day writing reviews and am going to solicit all my neighbors until I get a 100 people to cancel WM and go with the great company I have now for trash pick up. I'm guessing I'll get an AI or automated response to this review.

This is the second week of their new service in my area in Morada, California, and so far it stinks. They were supposed to pick up three cans on a Wednesday, but they missed one can and I have been unable to get them to pick it up for four days now with no end in sight. I cannot get a response from a human being, and their computer response always says it will be picked "today" but it never does get picked up. I really dislike companies that I cannot communicate with and get a reply to a simple request.
Follow up to my initial review;
Since I posted this, the company's web site said that they could not pick my Trash can because it was not set out. That is a lie! It has been sitting out in plain sight for five days straight and I have a dated photo to prove it.

Three missed pickups in 4 weeks. Two over Christmas and New Years. Offices were closed, so no record of missed pickups. No credits offered on missed pickups. No proration through the billing month for cancelation. $75 fee for can pickup. Absolute joke for the money.

This company is so sketchy. They will charge customers using their AI camera, if the lid is bent and sticks up it will say the bin is "overfilled" and charge you extra for it! Big piece of cardboard slightly lifting the lid also? Charge. They love their money but hate to actually service you and I've seen how their staff had a strike not long ago and they treated them like trash too. Waste management makes year over year billions and every year their prices go up and their staff are paid less and less with cuts to benefits and uniform quality. Capitalism woooo. Jim fish is sucks.

I live in the state of WASHINGTON. Which i am sure is part of THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
SOMEONE please explain WHY i am required to PRESS 1 to speak English and then receive the worst possible experience from "customer service."
Has WM sold to a Chinese company??

We have used Waste Management for nearly 10 years at
our current location. In that time, we have seen our
service decrease and our costs increase. They recently
added a nuissance payment processing fee that seems
unnecessary. We have been scolded with e-mails and
photos about our trash being "too full" even when
everything is fully in the bin. We wouldn't have to fill them so full if service was better. I noticed all my neighbors slowly switching to KC Disposal. I contacted KC Disposal and we will get more timely service, larger bins, and a lower price. I contacted Waste Management to cancel and they tried over and over to get me to stay. I told them Ihad already set up new service. I gave them my reasonswhy. They told me we would receive no refund for services already paid. Not a good note to leave on. Makes me even happier we are switching. I let them know that. "We're sorry sir, it's written in your policy."

On top of that, they informed me I will be charged $75 for them to collect our bins. What a slap in the face on the way out the door. On top of pocketing my remaing balance, I'm being charged to leave. "We're sorry sir, it's written in your policy."

I am very happy with my choice to leave. Terrible
company.