• Bag and tie. Frustrate the fly.

Bagging and tying isn’t just a good idea, it’s a county regulation monitored by the Maricopa County Health Department. Garbage, grass and other items placed in your garbage container may attract insects and cause unpleasant odors. Placing these items in securely tied plastic bags keeps your garbage container and the area around it clean.

• Get me to the curb on time.

Containers must be placed out for service by 6 a.m. on collection day and returned to private property by 6 a.m. the following day. To avoid missing your collection service, you may place your container at curbside the previous evening. In the event that you did not place your container at curbside by 6 a.m. of your assigned collection day, your container may not be serviced until the next scheduled collection day.

• Don’t overstuff me.

Do not overfill containers; maximum capacity is 200 pounds. The lid must be closed. Brush or other material is not allowed to stick out of the container. Containers that are overfilled may not be serviced until the next scheduled collection day.

• Give us some space.

Place the container at curbside with the handle side facing your house within one (1) foot of the curb and at least three (3) feet away from other containers or obstructions, such as a fence, street light, mailbox or other fixed objects.

• Blocked containers.

In the interest of safety and efficiency on collection days, the city requests that cars not be parked on the streets, especially in cul-de-sacs. Do not park within ten (10) feet of containers in need of service. If a container is inaccessible to a collection vehicle, it is the owner or occupant’s responsibility to move the container to an accessible and approved location for service. Containers that are blocked by vehicles may not be serviced until the next scheduled collection day.

• Slow down to get around.

Sanitation workers have a dangerous job, working all hours along busy streets and in tight spaces. We ask motorists to slow down and give a safe working distance. As a safety precaution, please keep children and pets away from our collection vehicles. Children and animals are attracted to large trucks, which is a safety concern for our drivers. Do not permit children to play near containers, especially on collection days.