UPDATE: Albuquerque’s Solid Waste Department said Monday it has replaced Shane Stanford’s damaged recycling bin. A spokesman said the department maintains a list of residents who need additional help with trash collection (or faster service) and Stanford was not on it when he called to report the damage to his bin. According to the city, an operator initially offered to replace the bin by the end of July – a normal waiting period for someone who is not on the expedited service list.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – An Albuquerque man says he feels discriminated against after city workers reportedly destroyed his trash bin, and insisted it’s his problem to fix.

“There was just no care, no resolution, absolutely nothing but really bad attitude and discrimination against disabilities,” said Shane Stanford, an Albuquerque resident. 

Stanford says he was discriminated against by a City of Albuquerque employee after calling 311.

“They broke it. Not only did my child witness it, but I have surveillance cameras, that there’s no question about how it got broken. The guy squeezed it too hard, I’m sure. I don’t know how that works. But I mean, it popped the lid off, like a can of Pringles,” said Stanford. 

The city’s Solid Waste Department got back to him about a week later.

“She’s like, ‘Well, just pick up the trash daily.’ I said no, I need the trash can replaced I, you know, I pay my bill, and I’m also I’m handicap. Honestly, there’s days I can’t move, there’s days when I need my kid’s help to move. I can’t be out here picking up trash every day,” Stanford said. 

The lid is almost unusable, with just a small piece keeping it intact.

“Just a little breeze right here will take the lid right off, it’s literally hanging on by like a thin little piece of plastic,” said Stanford. 

But Stanford says they told him it wasn’t damaged enough.

“And she’s like, ‘Well, that’s unfortunate. Maybe you could get like a piece of wood and just use it as a lid.’ Like, excuse me? She’s like, ‘Yeah, just go to Home Depot and get a piece of wood for a lid.’ Like, ma’am, I’m handicapped for one, I can barely pick up trash on it. And I’m supposed to pick up like, you know, however big, that’s a decent sized piece of plywood. I was like, I can’t do it. And she’s like, ‘Well, that’s not our concern.’ She’s like, ‘That sounds like a personal problem,’ and basically told me in a polite way to screw myself,” Stanford said. 

After that call, Stanford called 311 again, hoping to file a complaint against the worker.

“They said that they were supposed to have the Solid Waste Department Management get a hold of me, and I haven’t heard anything,” said Stanford. “They said it’s a 24 hour, you know, escalated call. So that was should have been Friday, but I don’t know, I’m hoping that they even reach out to me. I’m hoping maybe Monday.”

Stanford says it’s not so much about the bin anymore but sounding the alarm on how he was treated.

“If you’re in the position and in a job position where you’re dealing with people, whether it’s over the phone directly on a keyboard, have some respect. I raise my kids to treat people how you want to be treated, and I guarantee that lady would not want to have been treated the way she treated me,” said Stanford. 

KOB 4 was sent the following statement from a spokesperson for the city’s Solid Waste Department:

“Our team worked with the resident and replaced his bin. Residential bins damaged during normal collections are replaced, free of charge, on a first-come, first-served basis. Disabled residents in need of extra assistance can enroll in our special assistance program through a mail-in form and will be prioritized in the bin replacement process.”