Vesta Capital tenants across Tulsa left without dumpsters for a week

TULSA, Okla. — Imagine having no place to throw away your trash for an entire week. That is the stinky reality for people living at multiple Tulsa apartment complexes owned by Vesta Capital.

The dumpsters suddenly disappeared on July 1.

Neighbors at Woodland Manor, a senior and disabled complex, said they initially heard the bins were just being cleaned. However, when tenants called the waste management company, they were told that wasn’t true.

Instead, residents believe Vesta failed to pay the bill.

Now, people are still piling trash exactly where the old dumpsters used to be.

Management eventually brought in a large, temporary red construction bin, but residents said it isn’t solving the problem.

Due to the container’s size, lifting heavy bags into the temporary eight-foot bin is physically grueling for the elderly and disabled population living at the property.

Woodland Manor resident Denice Woods said she struggled just to put in her own garbage.

“If you’re 80 years old, can you really swing that trash bag up over that dumpster?” Woods asked. “I tried three times one day to get my trash bag in, three times! It was finally on the third time, but by then I was like oh, my back!”

The issue extends well beyond Woodland Manor.

A look at One Eton Square Apartments down the street revealed no regular garbage cans and no temporary bins onsite either.

Over at the Barcelona Apartments off of Yale Avenue, trash is piling up in the hot sun with no temporary bin in sight.

Multiple tenants at all three of the properties spoke off camera, explaining that they are upset but terrified of corporate retaliation.

In addition to the missing dumpsters, tenants said they are dealing with a variety of unaddressed maintenance issues including air conditioning failures, flooding and water leaks, all while Vesta continues to charge them for services.

“It’s basically as if Vesta has broken their part of the lease, but expect us to maintain ours,” Woods said.

FOX23 called all three leasing offices and Vesta Capital’s corporate office seeking answers, but every single call went straight to automated voicemails stating that nobody was available to take the call.

As far as Woodland Manor, the leasing office sent an email to residents on Friday, stating they expect the regular garbage cans to be returned on Wednesday.

Neighbors said they’re hopeful, but given the circumstances, they wouldn’t be shocked if that doesn’t end up being the case.