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Dear resident,
First and foremost, the safety of our staff and customers continues to be a number one priority for us as we navigate together as a community through the ever-changing COVID-19 emergency. Many of us never imagined that we would ever face this type of unprecedented situation which has impacted each one of us in so many ways.
Because the COVID-19 pandemic will have a negative impact on the City budget, the Environmental Management & Sustainability Department is taking steps now to help the City weather the financial storms that lie ahead. To be able to continue to provide our core, essential weekly collection services to our more than 127,000 residential and commercial customers, our department has implemented the following temporary, pro-active measures until further notice to ensure that we have the necessary staff, equipment and financial resources available during the COVID-19 emergency.
- There will be no change to your trash or recycle collection days but barrel collection service times for your area will be impacted. To avoid any missed barrel service, residents should place their barrels out for collection after 6 p.m. the night before or no later than 6 a.m. on your normal service day. This will ensure your barrels are serviced each week. To schedule a special pickup for non-serviced barrels due to late set out, please call Customer Service at (480) 644-2221. Additional fees will apply.
- Blue recycle and green yard waste barrels will be temporarily collected by the same truck on your normal recycle collection day and this material will be landfilled. The cost to send a single vehicle and driver, coupled with the cost to recycle, has been a major driver of this decision. Residents are asked to please continue to only place accepted items in the correct barrel to avoid contamination when recycle services resume to normal operation.
- The Bulk Item Collection Program is currently available on a limited basis.
- The Appliance Recycling Program has been suspended.
- Neighborhood Cleanup Program events scheduled through the end of April have been canceled to divert these resources to our core, essential services. Future events may be subject to cancellation as well.
- Select staff members have been reassigned to support critical solid waste services
We have also taken additional measures to ensure the health and safety of our solid waste equipment operators and staff.
- Solid waste vehicles and equipment are thoroughly disinfected on a nightly basis following CDC guidelines.
- Solid waste equipment operator start times have been staggered to allow for social distancing.
- Morning team gatherings have been suspended until further notice. Updates are instead provided by truck radio.
- Disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer are being provided to solid waste equipment operators in addition to their standard personal protection equipment.
- Only a very limited number of department staff continue to remain in office. All other staff are working remotely off-site.
We thank you for your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience you may experience during this time. Our goal is to resume normal operations as soon as possible.
For the most current information regarding impacted City services due to the COVID-19 emergency, please visit :
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