PHOENIX — City of Phoenix will be changing its trash collection routes starting Oct. 3, according to the Public Works Department. This means there will be a day-of-collection change for about 80% of customers. However, this will not impact bulk trash collection, household hazardous waste or other services.
The City hasn’t made changes to the collection routes since 2009. This need for change is due to almost 10 years of population growth and an addition of approximately 27,000 single-family homes in the north and southwest areas, the City said.
Currently, the City serves 418,000 residential homes and has 271 solid waste equipment operators. This change will help redistribute the workload and ensure there is enough staff and equipment to support service demand going forward.
“This reroute is going to allow for the current customer growth we’ve experienced, but also we’ve planned for the next two years of growth that we know that is coming online,” said Felipe Moreno, assistant public works director for the City of Phoenix during a subcommittee meeting last week.
The City said the reroute will ensure there is no need to purchase additional trucks for the next two years. This will make operation more efficient and allows the City to better serve customers over a broader range.
Because of the large customer impact, the City said it will implement a robust outreach and notification plan in both English and Spanish.
“Sept. 5, we will do mass mailing to those 80% customers,” said Lorizelda Stoeller, deputy public works director for the City of Phoenix. “Those will be probably a postcard of some nature that will advertise this is your new day of service starting the week of Oct. 3.”
The City will personally inform those who have multiple collection days through walk-and-talks and knocking on doors. Customers will also be notified through door hangers, social media, newsletters, City service bills and websites, Stoeller said.
During the week of Oct. 3, the City will offer courtesy pickups to help customers who might not be aware of their new collection day, Stoeller said. There will also be an increase in field staff working in neighborhoods to ensure a smooth transition.
Residents are encouraged to visit Phoenix.gov/PublicWorks to access the citywide map to find their new collection day. Residents will also receive a post card with this information mailed directly to them.
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