Phoenix to offer new appointment-based program for bulk trash collection

PHOENIX — A new bulk trash collection program in Phoenix will go into effect late September, officials said.

That means Phoenicians can dump their old Public Works trash collection calendars. They won’t have to rely on preset dates to find out when they can put their trash outside of their residence.

Instead of waiting on the current quarterly scheduling system, residents will soon be able to set trash pickup appointment on dates that work for them.

A new online portal will enable residents to select available collection dates based on their address.

Residents can start scheduling the appointments online on Aug. 30. The first day of bulk trash by appointment is on Sept. 30.

How will the new bulk trash collection program in Phoenix work?

A Phoenician who wants to schedule an appointment can enter their address in the new online portal.

After they select the pickup date, they can start putting their trash out no more than seven days before the appointment.

Residents also have to meet specific criteria when placing their large items at the edges of their properties. They can’t exceed 10 cubic yards of trash per collection. That’s approximately 17 ft. X 4 ft. X 4 ft.

The general guidelines around bulk trash collection will stay the same, the city said. For example, the list of acceptable and prohibited items will stay the same. Placement guidelines also won’t change.

Customers still only get four bulk trash collections a year. The main change is that these collections are at the residents’ convenience now.

“The new program will do away with bulk trash collection in alleys,” the city announcement said.

Why did the city replace its quarterly trash collection system?

Robert Lopez, a solid waste superintendent for Public Works, said customer feedback drove the city’s decision to upgrade the quarterly program to an appointment-based system.

“One of the biggest concerns from our customers was one having to wait for the quarterly collection,” Lopez told KTAR News 92.3 FM. “The quarterly collection is done every three months, right? So you have to wait 13 weeks before bulk trash is available for you again, and it doesn’t always line up when you need something collected.”

Customers also said they disliked having bulk trash out on the street during holiday weeks.

Some people who hosted visiting family members told the city that trash limited parking options. Others were concerned about the safety of trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

Thanks to the new appointment-based system, the city can decide offer pickup dates that circumvent the holidays, Lopez added.

The new bulk trash collection program also benefits the hard-working folks who pick up trash all around Phoenix, he said.

“Right now we know exactly how many collections that we can do in a day and we can schedule out the number of collections based on the resources we have available,” Lopez said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Colton Krolak contributed to this report.