Phoenix City Solid Waste - Efficient Customer Service

A few months ago, I noticed that the Phoenix City Garbage Truck had crushed my recycling bin container with it's massive hydraulic claw, used to lift it up and into the back of the truck mechanically. The claw's fingers dug into the can's sides, puncturing and crushing it. Last week, I noticed that the punctures had become longitudinal seams, 2 feet long, 4 to 6 inches wide, and when the wind blew strongly, the recycling (especially paper) would blow out through these gaping cracks. I duct taped them, but the city's hydraulic claw ripped right through the duct tape.

So I looked at the Phoenix City Solid Waste website (link here) and found an email address to contact. On 14 May, I wrote to them to let them know my recycling bin had been crushed, and asked how I could get a new one? 2 hours later, I received a reply to leave my bin out on Monday, and it would be replaced by the city. Monday arrived, and I rolled out my damaged, and re-duct taped bin. Tuesday morning around 9am, I heard the drone of a hydraulic lift's pump. Dashing out onto my driveway, I found a 20 foot long truck in the street with a friendly city worker, hoisting my damaged bin on the truck's hydraulic lift. The "shiny new" blue recycling bin was already resting curbside. I asked him if that was a normal failure mode, and he assured me he sees it all the time. His truck's bed was FULL of new and used trash containers, in various states of degradation.

It's nice to see my tax dollars at work, actually providing an efficient, useful, prompt service. It's also one of the reasons Dr Desert Flower and I chose to live WITHIN city limits, as opposed to outside the limits, to benefit from the city services.