Spirited rival of Republic sues trash hauler
Simple ESG alleges try to put it out of business
A family-owned company is taking Republic Services of Southern Nevada to court.
“We have tried continuously to work alongside Republic Services to enhance the level of service to what is, at the end of the day, both of our customers,” said Danielle Basson, chief operating officer of Simple Environmental Services Group, which manages commercial clients’ waste needs, including trash pickup. “They only see us — in their own words — as their largest competitor in Las Vegas.”
Republic Services has an exclusive franchise agreement with all municipalities in Southern Nevada, requiring Basson to use Republic to collect her clients’ trash. But she can use other vendors to collect and haul her clients’ recycling and provide other services, like graffiti removal.
Simple ESG’S lawsuit, filed Friday in Clark County District Court, alleges that Republic is trying to push Simple ESG out of business by charging a premium to use the metro area’s only landfill, which Republic owns. It also alleges that Republic is erroneously charging Simple ESG for missed pick-ups and attempting to poach Simple ESG’S clients.
“We are filing this complaint now because Republic, on more than one occasion, has aggressively abused their position afforded to them with the exclusive franchise agreement against Simple ESG and our clients. They had been doing it to us behind the scenes for years. The mistake they made was when they went directly after our clients,” Basson said.
Tim Oudman, area president of Republic Services, said Monday, “We’re aware of the assertion and look forward to addressing it before the court.”
In February, Republic Services filed a complaint alleging that Simple ESG owes Republic money.
“Simple’s customers are in arrears, and Republic has been owed payment on certain accounts for a significant period of time,” the complaint states.
In February 2017, the Review-journal reported that commercial property owners had been paying a number of trash fees that were never approved by Southern Nevada municipalities’ lawmakers.
Basson has filed numerous complaints with Henderson, North Las Vegas, Las Vegas and Clark County about perceived predatory business practices by Republic, “many of which have gone either unresolved or completely unanswered.”
In December 2016, area lawmakers said their hands were tied and encouraged Basson to attempt to resolve her issues with Republic in court.
At the time, Basson said that she didn’t have the resources to do so and that she thinks the onus is on local governments, which put the exclusive franchise agreements in place.
The city of Henderson is the only municipality that actively engaged, Basson said.
Contact Nicole Raz at nraz@ reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512. Follow @Journalistnikki on Twitter.