Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Catalina Foothills
Arizona residential routes operate weekly (Mon-Fri) depending on your neighborhood zone. Some municipalities shift to earlier collection hours during extreme summer heat.
State Mandate
Ensure trash is bagged to prevent debris from scattering during high desert winds.
Black, Green, or Tan (Varies by private hauler) Bin (Trash)
Place carts at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on your designated collection day. Ensure a 3-foot clearance from mailboxes, parked cars, and other carts. Do not leave bins out overnight due to wildlife.
Accepted Items
- ✓Standard household garbage
- ✓Bagged food waste
- ✓Bagged pet waste
- ✓Small amounts of bagged yard debris
Blue or Green (Varies by private hauler) Bin (Recycling)
All recyclables must be placed loosely into the bin. Never bag your recycling in plastic kitchen bags, as the private material recovery facilities will treat bagged recycling as contaminated garbage.
Accepted Items
- ✓Clean cardboard and paper
- ✓Aluminum and tin cans
- ✓Rigid plastic bottles and jugs
Do NOT Include
- ✕Plastic bags and film
- ✕Glass bottles and jars (Use purple drop-off bins)
- ✕Food waste and greasy pizza boxes
- ✕Tanglers (cords, hoses)
Yard Waste Bin
There is no default municipal yard waste program. Small green waste must be bagged and placed in the regular trash cart. Large branches must be bundled and scheduled as a bulk pickup through your private hauler.
Accepted Items
- ✓Bagged grass clippings
- ✓Small twigs and leaves
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
On-Demand Only (By private arrangement)
Placement
Items should not be placed at the curb until 24 hours prior to your scheduled private appointment to comply with Pima County and strict HOA blight ordinances.
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture and mattresses
- ✓ Large household appliances (non-freon)
- ✓ Bundled yard debris (per hauler guidelines)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Hazardous waste (paints, oils, pool chemicals)
- ✕ Dirt, concrete, and roofing materials
- ✕ Tires
- ✕ Appliances with Freon (unless pre-approved)
Bulk pickups almost always incur an additional fee from your private hauler, unless your specific HOA has negotiated a master contract that includes an annual free bulk removal.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Major private haulers (like Waste Management and Republic Services) generally observe a one-day delay if your normal collection day falls on or after a major holiday during that week (e.g., Thursday routes move to Friday).
Yard Waste Exception
Because bulk pickups are scheduled on-demand, they will simply be blocked out from being scheduled on major federal holidays.
Since collection is privatized, it is your responsibility to verify the exact holiday schedule with your specific provider, as different haulers may observe different minor holidays.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Save the Glass for Purple Bins
Never put glass in your curbside recycling cart. It shatters during collection and ruins clean paper bales. Take all glass containers to the specialized purple community drop-off bins scattered throughout the region.
Loose is the Rule
Plastic shopping bags and garbage bags wrap around the sorting gears at the recycling plant, causing major delays and safety hazards. Dump your recyclables loosely into the bin and return grocery bags to the store.
Box the Prickly Plants
If you are disposing of prickly pear pads, cholla, or agave trimmings in your standard trash cart, ensure they are securely contained in a cardboard box or thick bag so they do not puncture the bin or injure drivers.
Seasonal Information
Summer (Monsoon)
July to SeptemberFierce monsoon microbursts are notorious for blowing lightweight bins down the steep foothill roads. Ensure your bin lid is completely closed, and always wait until the morning of your collection day to roll it out if a storm is forecasted overnight.
Winter (Snowbird Season)
November to AprilThe population density in the Catalina Foothills swells during the winter months, leading to heavier route volumes for private haulers. Ensure your bins are out by 6:00 a.m., as route times may fluctuate due to the increased collection load.
Spring
March to MayDuring peak landscaping season, do not overload your bins with heavy dirt, rocks, or sod. Overweight bins will be tagged and bypassed by automated collection arms to prevent mechanical damage.
About Catalina Foothills Waste Management
Private Haulers in an Unincorporated Landscape
Because Catalina Foothills operates as an unincorporated census-designated place (CDP) in Pima County, there is no centralized municipal trash collection. Homeowners are responsible for establishing their own curbside service through county-permitted private companies like Republic Services, Waste Management, or Titan Trash. However, if you live in a managed subdivision or gated community, your Homeowners Association likely holds an exclusive master contract with a single hauler to minimize heavy garbage truck traffic on the winding, hilly streets.
Defending Bins from Desert Wildlife
Living nestled against the Santa Catalina Mountains means regular encounters with native desert wildlife, particularly javelinas, coyotes, and the occasional black bear. To prevent these animals from foraging and scattering dangerous litter across the scenic landscape, residents are strongly advised—and often mandated by local HOA covenants—to keep trash containers securely locked inside garages or walled enclosures until the actual morning of pickup, rather than leaving them out overnight.
The Purple Bin Glass Initiative
Because Catalina Foothills routes its recycling through Pima County's regional materials recovery facilities (MRFs), residents must keep glass out of their curbside blue carts. Broken glass severely contaminates paper and cardboard bales, making them unsellable. Instead, eco-conscious foothills residents should collect their empty, rinsed glass bottles and take them to one of the region's designated purple glass drop-off containers for specialized processing.
Navigating Brush and Bulky Waste Removals
Because there is no automatic, city-funded 'Brush and Bulky' sweeping program here like there is in neighboring Tucson, tackling major desert landscaping overhauls requires proactive planning. If you are trimming palo verde trees or removing large cacti, you cannot simply leave the oversized debris at the curb. You must contact your specific private hauler directly to schedule and pay for an on-demand bulky waste pickup, or utilize a local junk removal service.
Drop-off Facilities
Los Reales Sustainability Campus
5300 E. Los Reales Road, Tucson, AZ 85756
Materials Accepted
Pima County Sahuarita Transfer Station
16605 S. La Canada Rd, Sahuarita, AZ
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the local government provide trash service in Catalina Foothills?
No. Catalina Foothills is an unincorporated area within Pima County. Residents are responsible for setting up their own waste collection through a private, permitted hauler like Republic Services, Waste Management, or Titan Trash, often coordinated through their HOA.
Can I put glass in my curbside recycling bin?
Generally, no. Pima County recycling guidelines strongly discourage putting glass in single-stream blue bins because it shatters and contaminates other materials. You should take empty, clean glass bottles to one of the purple community drop-off containers in the Tucson area.
What time should I put my trash bins out for collection?
Bins should be placed at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on the morning of collection. However, due to the high volume of desert wildlife (like javelinas and coyotes), residents are strongly urged not to put bins out the night before.
How do I get rid of large furniture or bulk trash in Catalina Foothills?
Because there is no municipal Brush & Bulky sweep program, you must call your private subscription hauler to schedule a specialized pickup (which usually carries an extra fee), or you can self-haul the items to the Los Reales Sustainability Campus in Tucson.