BROWNSVILLE - A Cameron County resident said he waited several days for trash service; an incident his trash provider, Republic Services, said was a misunderstanding.

Ismael Cavazos, a quadriplegic, claimed his bin wasn’t picked and emptied last Friday.

“They give me different excuses, and I told them that I had paid my bill and what’s going on and they give me the runaround,” he said.

Cavazos said he called and was told it would be picked up later that day so he waited.

“It’s all the way to the top and there’s no other place I could put my trash,” he said.

By Tuesday morning and several calls later, Cavazos said the service still hadn’t stopped by.

“Other people throw their trash anywhere else, and I’m doing the legal thing and they want to be here to pick up my trash,” he said.

The Brownsville resident also said it wasn’t the first time it happened.

“I had this problem about four or five years ago, and we’re going through the same problem again,” he said.

Cavazos said he wasn’t given a reason for the delay in service last time.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS visited Republic Services’ office for an explanation. They declined an on-camera interview but still spoke with us.

The company said another account in Cavazos’ apartment complex failed to stay up-to-date with their payment. They said the trash man thought the entire complex’s account was flagged and believed no pick-up was necessary for the section.

Republic Services also said the trash was collected Wednesday afternoon. Cavazos said he now double checks his payments are up-to-date.

The company also said it’s difficult to distinguish the trash bins in the apartment complex. They are considering adding apartment numbers to avoid the issue in the future.