Pima County, AZ Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Garbage-only minimum
- Twice weekly
- Refuse with garbage minimum
- Twice weekly
- Once-weekly variance
- Needs health dept and director approval
- Denied variance wait
- 6 months before reapplying
- Governing section
- Pima County Code § 7.25.040
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county only
Summary
Pima County Code § 7.25.040 requires every licensed hauler in the unincorporated county to collect from each signed-up customer and sets the floor for how often: garbage-only service at least twice weekly, refuse mixed with garbage twice weekly, and rubbish or ashes as often as needed to stop nuisances and fly breeding.
A. Duty to Collect. Waste collectors shall collect solid waste from customers who have contracted for the service. ... C. Frequency of Collection. 1. The frequency of collection shall be in accordance with rules of the waste collector but not less than: a. Garbage only, twice weekly; b. Refuse with garbage, twice weekly; c. Rubbish and ashes, as often as necessary to prevent nuisances and fly breeding.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-64: Contains Supplement, with local legislation through Ordinance 2026-9, passed 7-28-2026, current through 7-28-2026).
Full Breakdown
040 opens with the collector's basic duty and frequency floor, quoted below. Subsection B lists what a collector must pick up, garbage, ashes, rubbish and dead animals under seventy-five pounds, while dangerous materials, construction debris, industrial waste, oversized or condemned animals and manure are collected only at the hauler's discretion when it has the right equipment. 200, and the director publishes notice of the proposed variance in a newspaper for two consecutive weeks and holds a public hearing before deciding. Every customer whose service would be affected must also get individual mailed or hand-delivered notice of the request; failing to notify them is itself grounds to deny the variance.
If the director denies a variance, the same hauler cannot reapply for six months. Subsection D makes clear the twice-weekly and variance rules are only a floor: a collector can always agree to serve a customer more often. 060, this chapter binds only licensed collectors operating in the unincorporated area of Pima County; Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita and South Tucson run separate collection programs.
Violations & Fines
Failing to meet the collection duties or frequency floor in Section 7.25.040 is a petty offense under Section 7.25.220, with each day of noncompliance charged separately; collecting or hauling waste without the license the chapter requires is instead a Class 1 misdemeanor. A licensed hauler that racks up three or more violations of any waste-collection law within twelve months can have its Pima County operating license revoked under Section 7.25.190, after notice and a hearing before the director.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often must my Pima County trash hauler pick up garbage?
Can my hauler switch me to once-a-week garbage pickup?
Does this frequency rule apply if I live inside Tucson?
What waste is my Pima County hauler required to take?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pima County
Compare Pima County to another location·View the Arizona trash & recycling overview
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