DEXTER, Mich. (WXYZ) – From Waterford to Rochester Hills to Dexter, we’ve heard your complaints about Priority Waste’s garbage collection problems since they took over GFL on July 1.

7 News Detroit investigated these concerns and has now learned, according to Priority Waste, that more than half of the trucks GFL turned over to Priority were inoperable. Problems included human waste left in the cabs of several trucks.

A former GFL employee also told 7 News Detroit that trucks in need of maintenance were not repaired in the weeks leading up to the sale.

It’s a beautiful place to spend the summer in Michigan, but since late June, neighbors’ frustration – and trash – has been piling up on a dirt road in Dexter.

“The insects, the smell, the animals – it was a nightmare,” said local resident Cary Ketzner.

For nearly two months, says Ketzner, her garbage collection has been anything but reliable. The problems began shortly before her former garbage collection service, GFL, was taken over by Priority Waste. On her dirt road, the animals had a lot of fun with the overflowing garbage.

“They’ve scattered it all over the yard and the street, and I’m looking out the window at my 83-year-old neighbor, who I know has a hip replacement, bending down to pick up trash on a 55-mile-per-hour gravel road,” Ketzner said.

The problems have been known throughout Southeast Michigan since the July 1 takeover. Priority Waste says some of the problems are due to having fewer trucks available than expected. Of the more than 400 trucks they purchased from GFL, about half were inoperable.

“We thought we had a working fleet of 410 trucks, but we ended up with only about half of that,” said Matt Allen, director of public and government affairs at Priority Waste. “Truck after truck started coming into our delivery yard with tow trucks – that was a big red flag.”

Allen says the trucks they received looked “significantly” different than when they were inspected two months earlier. Hydraulic lines were missing or broken, braking systems were not working, fluid lines were missing, axles were broken and some of the trucks even had feces stuck in them.

“Some of the more aggressive actions, like human feces in the cabs, are just stupid things done by criminal employees,” Allen said. “We’re not afraid of it, we just didn’t want to make it public for obvious reasons. We’re not here to pick fights, we’re here to solve problems… I can’t say why the people at GFL did what they did. At this point, it doesn’t matter. We’re going to fix the problem.”

Allen says the company is currently spending millions to get the trucks repaired quickly and hopes to have all customers back on schedule by the end of next week.

“I understand that they were going through a frustrating situation, but as a paying customer, I felt the same way,” Ketzner said.

Ketzner, in turn, decided to share her concerns with 7 News Detroit reporter Kim Craig, who contacted Priority Waste on her behalf.

“I contacted my neighbors because no one is expecting this since it’s been almost eight weeks without service. So I wanted to make sure everyone knows to take their trash out,” Ketzner said. “Kimberly Craig is on site, so take your trash out to the corners because I expect it will be picked up, and it was! So thanks to her – all the best to her.”