Mesa, AZ Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Responsibility
- Every owner, tenant, occupant must properly dispose of waste
- Collector limits
- Only the City or City-permitted private haulers may collect
- Ownership
- Waste becomes City property once deposited for collection
- Self-haul exception
- Owners may personally haul their own refuse to disposal
- Service area
- City may serve territory within 3 miles of its border
- Rates
- Set by City Council resolution under § 8-3-9
Summary
Every owner, tenant, and occupant of property within Mesa city limits is personally responsible for properly controlling and disposing of all solid waste generated there, under Mesa City Code § 8-3-1. Backing that duty, § 8-3-3 confines collection to the City itself or to private haulers holding a City permit, license, franchise, or contract: no one else may pick up solid waste set out for collection.
Solid waste shall only be collected by the City or by private haulers (business establishments only) that have obtained a permit, license, franchise, or contract from the City authorizing private collection. Solid waste deposited for collection shall become the property of the City, or authorized private hauler when approved by the City, upon collection. No person shall remove any or all such solid waste so collected.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 22).
Full Breakdown
Section 8-3-1, the opening provision of the Solid Waste chapter, places the responsibility 'to properly control and dispose of all solid waste produced or occurring in or upon any and all premises' on every customer within the city limits, and directs municipal staff to enforce that duty. Section 8-3-3 then locks down who may actually perform the collection: solid waste 'shall only be collected by the City or by private haulers (business establishments only) that have obtained a permit, license, franchise, or contract from the City,' and once deposited for collection, that waste becomes the property of the City or its authorized hauler, no one else may remove it.
The City may also extend service into unincorporated territory within three miles of its border and inside its municipal planning area. The Council sets solid waste rates by resolution under § 8-3-9 to cover the cost of the service, and if the City has to remove waste that does not meet Chapter 3's requirements, it can bill the property owner for that removal. Together these sections make Mesa's solid waste service effectively mandatory for every property owner in the city, residents cannot opt out by using an unlicensed private collector, though § 8-3-12(D) does allow an individual property owner to personally haul their own refuse to a legal disposal point.
Violations & Fines
Allowing an unlicensed party to remove your solid waste, or removing waste that belongs to the City once it is set out for collection, violates §§ 8-3-1 and 8-3-3 and draws a civil citation under § 8-3-41: a $50 fine payable within ten days, rising to $100-$500 per violation if contested and lost before a Civil Hearing Officer, with three violations in 24 months elevating the matter to a criminal misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is trash service mandatory for Mesa property owners?
Can I hire any private company to haul my trash?
Can I just take my own trash to the dump instead of using City service?
Who owns my trash once I put it at the curb?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mesa
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