Weekly Collection Schedule
Official municipal pickup timing for Glendale
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.
Green or Black Bin (Trash)
All trash MUST be securely bagged and tied to prevent pests and litter. The lid must close completely. Place at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on your collection day, leaving at least 3 feet of space around the container.
Accepted Items
- ✓Bagged household garbage
- ✓Bagged food scraps
- ✓Bagged grass clippings and leaves
- ✓Small non-hazardous household items
Blue Bin (Recycling)
All recyclables must be placed loosely in the blue bin—never use plastic bags. Ensure containers are empty, clean, and dry before tossing them in.
Accepted Items
- ✓Cardboard and broken-down boxes
- ✓Paper, junk mail, and magazines
- ✓Aluminum and steel cans
- ✓Hard plastic jugs and bottles
- ✓Glass bottles and jars
Do NOT Include
- ✕Plastic bags and shrink wrap
- ✕Styrofoam (egg cartons, packing peanuts)
- ✕Food waste and liquids
- ✕Yard clippings
- ✕Diapers and clothing
Yard Waste Bin
Glendale does not use a third green bin for yard waste. Small yard debris must be bagged in the regular garbage bin. Large limbs and trimmings must be cut to 4-foot lengths and placed out during your designated monthly bulk trash week.
Accepted Items
- ✓Bagged grass clippings and leaves (in regular trash)
- ✓Tree limbs under 12 inches thick (for bulk trash)
- ✓Cactus (must be boxed for bulk trash)
Bulky Item Pickup
Frequency
Once a month based on designated zone sections (Sections 1 through 9).
Placement
Place items in a single pile within 4 feet of the sidewalk/street edge, parallel to the property line. Do not place within 2 feet of city bins, fire hydrants, water meters, or block walls. Keep piles separated by category (e.g., appliances vs. green waste).
Accepted
- ✓ Furniture and mattresses
- ✓ Appliances (refrigerators, washers, stoves)
- ✓ Tree limbs (cut to 4-foot lengths, max 12-inch diameter)
- ✓ Cactus (must be boxed securely)
- ✓ Glass panels (must be in a small, taped 2x2 cardboard box)
Not Accepted
- ✕ Soil, rock, gravel, and concrete
- ✕ Tires and auto parts
- ✕ Whole tree trunks and stumps
- ✕ Household hazardous waste (paint, oil, pool chemicals)
- ✕ Garbage that fits in your regular container
Monthly scheduled bulk pickup is free. However, requesting a special out-of-schedule bulk pickup incurs a $99 fee for the first 30 minutes of collection. Putting trash out outside of the allowed timeframe will also result in a $99 code violation fine.
Holiday Schedule
General Rule
Glendale residents only need to remember three holidays—Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. If your regular trash collection falls on one of these days, it will be delayed by one day (e.g., Thursday moves to Friday, Friday moves to Saturday).
Yard Waste Exception
Bulk trash scheduled for holiday weeks may experience slight delays. Ensure your pile is out by 6:00 a.m. the Monday of your zone's designated week.
Collections on all other holidays—such as Memorial Day, Labor Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Veterans Day—will occur on their normal, regular schedules without any delays.
Observed Holidays
!Contamination Tips
Keep Plastic Bags Out of the Blue Bin
The fastest way to contaminate your recycling in Glendale is by using plastic grocery bags or tossing bagged garbage into the blue cart. Plastic film jams the gears at the processing facility. Return plastic bags to retail store drop-offs instead.
Styrofoam is Considered Trash
Even if your foam egg carton or coffee cup has a recycling triangle stamped on it, the City of Glendale cannot process Styrofoam. All packing peanuts, foam blocks, and polystyrene products must be bagged and tied in your regular garbage container.
Box Your Broken Glass for Bulk Pickup
While intact glass bottles go in your blue recycling cart, broken glass panes, mirrors, or large glass shards must not go in either curbside bin. For safety, place them in a small, sturdy cardboard box (no larger than 2 ft. by 2 ft.), tape it shut, and set it out during your bulk trash week.
Seasonal Information
Summer
June to SeptemberExtreme desert heat causes organic waste to decompose and smell rapidly. Always double-bag food scraps, diapers, and pet waste. Be sure your trash container lid is fully closed to prevent fly breeding, maggot infestations, and foraging from neighborhood pests.
Monsoon
July to SeptemberSudden microbursts and high winds can knock over trash bins, spilling debris into the street. Always ensure your bin's lid is shut tight and place the bin on a flat surface at least three feet from your recycling cart, vehicles, or mailboxes.
Post-Holiday Winter
November to JanuaryAfter Thanksgiving and Christmas, trash and recycling volumes surge. Remember the 'Three Holiday Rule': only Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day cause a one-day delay. Break down all cardboard shipping boxes to ensure they fit loosely inside the blue recycling container.
About Glendale Waste Management
Glendale's Same-Day Curbside Convenience
The City of Glendale’s Solid Waste Division strives for efficiency by collecting both your household garbage and recycling on the exact same day each week. To ensure a smooth process, residents must wheel their 95-gallon containers to the curb by 6:00 a.m. Make sure to leave at least a three-foot gap between your trash and recycling bins, and keep them ten feet clear of parked cars, mailboxes, and bulk trash piles. Recently, the city has been shifting many neighborhoods from alleyway collections to front-street curbside pickups to improve truck access and community cleanliness.
The Three-Holiday Collection Rule
One of the easiest things to remember about Glendale's residential waste schedule is the 'Three Holiday Rule.' The city only halts trash and recycling collection for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. During these three major holidays, collections push back by a single day (for instance, a Thursday pickup happens on Friday). On all other federal and state holidays, including Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Independence Day, your local sanitation crews operate on a completely normal schedule.
Monthly Bulk Trash Zones
Unlike cities that require an appointment for every large pile of waste, Glendale operates a dependable, once-a-month bulk trash program divided into designated geographic zones. You can set out your large items, like old couches or bundled tree limbs, as early as the Thursday prior to your scheduled week. However, everything must be at the edge of your property by 6:00 a.m. on Monday. Setting items out too early, or leaving remnants out after your week has passed, can result in a $99 ordinance violation fee directly on your utility bill.
Strict Bagging Rules for Garbage
To combat the intense Arizona heat and prevent windblown litter during monsoon microbursts, Glendale enforces a strict bag-and-tie rule for the standard garbage can. All household trash, food waste, and grass clippings must be tightly sealed in plastic bags before they hit the bin. Conversely, when it comes to the blue recycling container, the city strictly mandates that all cardboard, cans, and hard plastics must remain loose, unbagged, and completely free of food residue to meet the city's goal of reducing contamination below 20%.
The Glendale Municipal Landfill Resource
For times when you miss your monthly bulk collection or simply cannot wait for your zone week, the Glendale Municipal Landfill serves as an exceptional local resource. Located at 11480 W. Glendale Avenue, the facility welcomes residents from Monday to Saturday to self-haul extra refuse, yard clippings, and even residential household hazardous waste like paint and pool chemicals. Note that you will need a valid ID, and if you are disposing of large appliances with refrigerants, a $25 Freon evacuation fee is required.
Drop-off Facilities
Glendale Municipal Landfill
11480 W. Glendale Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85307
Materials Accepted
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to my Glendale trash pickup on holidays like Memorial Day or Labor Day?
Your pickup schedule will not change. The City of Glendale only pauses residential trash and recycling service on three holidays all year: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. On all other federal holidays, you must place your bins out by 6:00 a.m. on your normal scheduled day.
Can I leave my trash bags on the ground if my bin is full?
No. All regular household garbage must fit inside the provided 95-gallon green or black container with the lid completely closed. If you consistently have too much trash, you can contact Customer Service at 623-930-2660 to order an additional container for an extra monthly fee.
How do I get rid of an old mattress or couch in Glendale?
You can dispose of large furniture items through Glendale's once-a-month bulk trash collection program. Locate your neighborhood's designated zone section online, and place your items on the edge of your property no earlier than the Thursday before your scheduled week, and no later than 6:00 a.m. that Monday.
Does Glendale AZ recycle glass bottles and jars?
Yes. Glendale accepts intact glass bottles and jars in the blue curbside recycling bin. Make sure they are empty, lightly rinsed, and free of food residue before tossing them in. Broken glass panes or mirrors, however, are considered a hazard and must be placed in a small, taped cardboard box for bulk trash collection.