NORTH SALT LAKE -- City officials have decided to sever relations with a garbage company run by the Kingston polygamous clan due to ongoing service interruptions and the company's poor safety record.

Since 1993, A-1 Disposal has been cited for 245 state and federal safety violations and paid $15,000 in fines to the Utah Department of Transportation.A recent injury accident, apparently caused by an A-1 Disposal truck with faulty brakes, led to subsequent news stories that alerted city officials to the firm's safety record.

"We didn't know we could get that kind of information," said City Manager Collin Wood. "We were as surprised as anyone."

A-1 Disposal has held the municipal garbage collection contract with the Davis County city since 1986.

Wood said the city has already prepared a contract with Ace Disposal to collect municipal garbage.

"(A-1) has made an effort to get the routes done, but the equipment has been in such disrepair they haven't been able to maintain the level of service," Wood said. "And I guess it's not just service; you pay for safety, too."

Monday's multiple-vehicle accident in North Salt Lake sent three people to the hospital.

On Wednesday, an official at UDOT's Office of Motor Carriers said state inspectors will reopen two case files -- from 1993 and 1996 -- that showed A-1 Disposal was cited numerous times for using trucks with faulty brakes, not properly training or documenting its drivers and for using vehicles likely to cause an accident.

View Comments

One witness for UDOT could be a former dispatcher for the garbage outfit who said she quit 10 days before Monday's accident because supervisors at A-1 ignored her pleas that an accident was inevitable.

Lee-Carlson said the company often worked without a qualified mechanic.

"The accident on Monday was just a matter of time," she said.

A-1 Disposal is operated by Ralph L. Anderson, the son of longtime polygamous leader John Ortell Kingston, who died in 1987. Another of the late Kingston's sons, John Daniel Kingston, is a partner in the business, according to UDOT records.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.