Attorney General Ellison wins $128K in refunds for waste-disposal company consumers over undisclosed fees

Investigation found waste disposal company Republic Services failed to properly disclose fees to consumers; settlement will require disclosure moving forward

June 28, 2024 (SAINT PAUL) – Attorney General Keith Ellison today announced a settlement with waste removal company, Allied Waste Services of North America LLC d/b/a Republic Services, that will provide more than $128,000 in refunds to consumers for Republic’s failure to disclose waste-container removal fees to certain consumers who canceled the company’s services.  The settlement also requires Republic Services to ensure that it properly discloses all of its fees, including waste-container removal fees, going forward.

The Attorney General’s investigation found that Republic Services did not disclose to all of its customers that they would be charged container removal fees when they canceled their service.  The Attorney General’s investigation demonstrated that Republic Services provided certain consumers with a written fee schedule that purported to disclose the full set of fees that consumers would pay but that Republic Services did not disclose its container removal fees in this written document.  The Attorney General also received reports from consumers stating that Republic Services did not disclose these container removal fees to them.

“Free markets require honesty and transparency to work properly. Consumers shopping around for services are entitled to clear and accurate information about the price they will pay,” Attorney General Ellison said. “In some cases, Republic Services failed to meet its obligations to disclose the fees it charged.  I appreciate Republic Services’ willingness today to provide refunds to consumers for its past failure to disclose certain container removal fees through this settlement.”

Under the terms of the settlement, which is a publicly filed document called an Assurance of Discontinuance, Republic Services will provide direct payments to those consumers identified during the Attorney General’s investigation as having been charged for container removal fees that were not properly disclosed to them.  In addition to these refunds, the Assurance of Discontinuance requires Republic Services to take steps to ensure that it clearly and conspicuously discloses its fees to consumers.

If you have had a problem with a company failing to provide you with complete and accurate information about the costs of its goods or services, please file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office via its online complaint form. You can also call the Office at (651) 296-3353 from within the Twin Cities or (800) 657-3787 from Greater Minnesota.