What began as a summer standoff between Republic Services and the Teamsters union has now stretched into September, with no resolution in sight. The trash strike — now entering its 10th week — is affecting 14 communities across Massachusetts, and frustrations are mounting as bins overflow and contracts remain locked in place.
A local business left holding the bag
In Tewksbury, JBorstell Real Estate is one of many businesses caught in the crossfire. Owner Jeff Borstell says he tried to switch providers after Republic stopped collecting trash — but quickly hit a wall.
“I kind of figured out pretty quickly that if you have a contract with Republic, it’s hard to hire somebody else,” Borstell said. “They immediately were like, ‘We can’t help you.’ I don’t think that many companies want to get involved in that.”
With no other options, Borstell hired a third-party junk remover to handle the pickups…