Avondale, AZ Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Code Section
- Avondale City Code sec. 11-14, 11-20
- Frequency
- Weekly (city-owned blue cart)
- Preparation
- Clean, empty, loose (do NOT bag recyclables)
- Contamination
- 3 violations in 365 days = cart removal
Summary
Avondale provides weekly blue-cart recycling. Under City Code Section 11-14, recyclables must be clean, empty, and placed loose (not bagged) in the cart with the lid closed, and only accepted materials may go in. Contaminating the cart can lead to no service, and three contamination violations in a year can cost you the cart.
Material Preparation. Recyclables shall be reasonably clean and empty. Recyclable materials shall not be bagged and shall be placed in the container in such a manner that they separate under the normal operating procedures of the applicable materials recovery facility. ... Inspection of a recycling container that contains nonrecyclable materials shall result in no service until the nonrecyclable materials have been removed by the resident or commercial customer. Three (3) or more violations in a three hundred and sixty-five-day-period for contamination of a recycling container shall be sufficient cause for the city to remove the recycling container.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Recycling is collected weekly in the city-owned blue cart under City Code Section 11-14. Recyclables must be reasonably clean and empty and must NOT be bagged - items go in loose so they separate properly at the materials recovery facility, with all boxes, cartons and crates broken down. The lid must be entirely closed and the contents may weigh no more than 250 pounds. Acceptable recyclable material (defined in Section 11-2) includes clean, dry paper, cardboard, chipboard, PETE and HDPE plastic containers, steel food cans, aluminum cans and foil.
Not accepted: plastic bags, film or sheeting, non-PETE/HDPE plastics, garbage, hazardous or animal waste, and contaminated materials. Under the enforcement rules in Section 11-20, depositing non-recyclables in a recycling container is a violation; a cart found to contain non-recyclables receives no service until the resident removes them, and three (3) or more contamination violations within a 365-day period are sufficient cause for the City to remove the recycling cart. The City also runs a recycling drop-off center in the Civic Center Library parking lot.
Violations & Fines
Contaminated recycling carts are not serviced until cleaned out. Three or more contamination violations in 365 days can result in removal of the recycling container (Section 11-20). General Solid Waste Code violations carry a $250 civil penalty under Section 11-22.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I bag my recyclables in Avondale?
What can I put in the blue recycling cart?
What happens if I keep putting trash in my recycling cart?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Avondale
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