Acting AG Henry Obtains Settlement With Eagle Disposal For Thousands Of Missed Trash, Recycling Collections In Lancaster County; Customers Must Apply For Restitution

On February 16, Acting Attorney General Michelle Henry announced that the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General has entered into a settlement agreement with Lancaster County-based Eagle Disposal of PA, Inc., for alleged violations of Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practice and Consumer Protection Law. 

Eagle Disposal is a waste management company that offers both commercial and residential services including garbage and recycling collection. 

According to the investigation, in 2021 Eagle failed to collect trash and/or recycling from over 1,800 residential subscription customers for multiple weeks at a time.

“Eagle Disposal let down Pennsylvanians, leaving many families to contend with garbage and recycling that should have been collected in a timely manner,” said Acting Attorney General Henry. “Pennsylvania’s citizens deserve service providers that honor agreements and take responsibility for mistakes when they occur. My office will continue to hold companies like Eagle Disposal accountable.”

As part of the settlement, known as an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance (AVC), Eagle Disposal has agreed to refund payments for any missed collections for Pennsylvania consumers who subscribed to residential trash and recycling services as of January 1, 2021 and who have not yet received a refund from Eagle. 

Further, Eagle has agreed to provide its customers with the option of receiving an email or text message in lieu of a phone call when the company believes that its trash or recycling will not be collected on time. 

Eagle has also agreed to clearly and conspicuously disclose to all consumers that its recycling services are either included in the quarterly price or available at an additional cost. 

Finally, Eagle Disposal will pay to the Commonwealth civil penalties of $30,000 and the costs of the investigation ($15,000).

Click Here for a copy of the settlement agreement.

Filing For Restitution

In order to be eligible to receive restitution under the settlement, an Eagle customer who had missed pickups must file a complaint using one of the methods below, no later than May 16, 2023. The consumer must indicate the number of weeks of missed trash or recycling service.

Affected consumers may file complaints through one of the following methods:

-- File a consumer complaint online

-- Print a complaint form and mail it to Agent Brett Mauser, Office of Attorney General, 15th Floor, Strawberry Square, Harrisburg, PA 17120.

-- Send an email to: consumers@attorneygeneral.gov 

-- Mail a letter to Agent Brett Mauser, Office of Attorney General, 15th Floor, Strawberry Square, Harrisburg, PA 17120

If a consumer chooses method 3 or 4 above, the letter or email must include the statement, “By completing and submitting this complaint form, I am adopting this as my online signature. I verify that I have read and understand the informational sheet about this process; and, that the information provided is true and correct to the best of my knowledge, information and belief.”

Deputy Attorney General Christopher T. Dey filed the Assurance of Voluntary Compliance in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas on February 15, 2023.

[Posted: February 17, 2023]  PA Environment Digest