Residential Refuse Collection

To help the City provide safe, efficient service, you must follow these rules:

Place refuse at curb by 6am on collection days, but not before 6pm on the previous evening.
Do not leave containers at the curb on non-collection days. Containers must be kept on your property.
Securely bag all refuse, especially loose, lightweight material that could scatter (plastic bags, packing material) and organics (food and pet waste).
Drain and wrap garbage (food scraps).
Securely wrap any items that might cause injury or illness, such as sharp glass, light bulbs or metal.
Pour motor oil into oil-absorbent boxes before placing in the trash.
No liquids.
No concrete, construction debris, soil or rocks.
No radioactive material. If someone in your household has received radioactive medical treatment, waste such as tissue paper and diapers may become contaminated through contact with that person. Please contact your neighborhood collection yard. City personnel will come to your house to test these items. A single contaminated tissue can trigger the safety sensors at the disposal facilities and require isolation and inspection of the entire truckload of waste.
Broken cart? Please contact your nearest collection yard. Our supervisors can often repair broken wheels or lid hinges; otherwise, the cart will be replaced.
Go to instructions for proper disposal of Household Hazardous Waste.

In the manual collection system:

Refuse should not exceed 75 pounds per container.
Householder is responsible for providing containers no larger than 35 gallons. Non-durable containers, such as plastic bags, may be used if they are able to contain the refuse securely at all times.

In the automated collection system:

Place all refuse inside the cart. Only refuse in the cart can be picked up.
Do not overload the cart. The lid should be closed to avoid spillage.
Place cart directly at the curb with the handle away from the street. Allow at least 5 feet of clearance from fences, lampposts, fire hydrants, mailboxes, parked cars and other obstructions. Do not block access to or park vehicles in front of the cart.
Recycle green waste and mixed recyclables in the green and blue carts. Do not use your gray refuse cart for items that could be sorted for recycling. See list of recyclables on the Curbside Recycling pages.

Broken cart? Collection service questions? Contact the Refuse Collection Yard that provides your trash pickup service.