Over one million Orange County residents could see late trash pickups this week as their trash collector, Republic Services, grapples with local workers honoring a picket line amid a strike in Boston. 

Cities like Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, Brea and Villa Park have already sent out notices warning trash pickup may be late. 

Municipalities including Garden Grove, Yorba Linda, Fullerton, Anaheim, Seal Beach and Placentia also contract with Republic Services. 

It’s unclear how many of Republic Services’ roughly 1,000 local trash collectors are honoring the Boston strike, with Teamsters Local 329 spokesperson Adan Alvarez saying it’s a “supermajority,” in a Thursday interview. 

Alvarez was also clear this is not a local strike. 

“A strike is when the workers at that facility are striking due to an expired contract or unfair labor practices as it pertains to that specific location,” Alvarez said. “That is not what’s happening in Orange County.” 

Under the union’s contract with Republic Services, workers are allowed to honor picket lines when workers at other facilities go on strike in an effort to add pressure on the company.

“Clearly the companies aren’t able to maintain their operation,” Alvarez said. “Republic Services could resolve all of this today.” 

In an unsigned statement, Republic Services acknowledged that three of their facilities had been impacted and encouraged residents to leave their trash out, promising it would be collected. 

“We are making adjustments to our operations and working to resume regular service as quickly as possible. Residents are advised to leave their containers out. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”   

Huntington Beach asked residents to leave their trash at the curb in a Wednesday social media post, noting that Republic Services told them they’d be collecting through the weekend to make up for the backlog. 

“If your containers were not serviced, please leave them out for potential makeup service on Thursday July 10 or later, similar to a holiday schedule,” the city’s statement reads. “We understand the inconvenience and are working with Republic to support a full return to regular service as soon as possible.” 

Santa Ana posted a nearly identical statement a few hours earlier, later adding that street sweeping would continue with trash cans on the curb. 

“We are actively working with Republic Services to resolve this situation and to resume normal service as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”