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If you were surprised to learn that the City of Flagstaff has cut back on residential bulky trash pickup in 2025, you’re not alone: “I found out about this change on social media, and I will say, I never like being surprised like that,� Mayor Becky Daggett said during a city council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

“We would have benefited from knowing that this was coming,� she added.

Scott Overton, director of the city's Public Works Department, was at the meeting to speak to the council about multiple changes to the city’s Solid Waste Program intended to ensure its long-term financial stability.

One of those changes is a switch to quarterly pickup of residential bulky waste, rather than every five weeks.

Overton acknowledged that the change might have seemed abrupt and that the department could have done more to communicate it to the public and the council. Speaking to the Arizona Daily Sun the day following the city council meeting, he said the department had been “still working out a lot of the details� as late as December.

“It’s fair that a preferred method might have been to communicate that in September or October,� Overton said. But, he added, “we just weren’t quite ready, logistically, as soon as Council desired.�

Along with a reduced frequency of bulky pickups, the Solid Waste Program is implementing more flexible schedule modifications for holidays. Instead of moving all residential collections back one day, collections may occur either before or after the holiday, with exact dates to be announced ahead of each one.

On the commercial side, the city’s Solid Waste Program will continue to service existing commercial accounts but will not accept new commercial customers. Commercial trash service is an open market consisting of competition from private companies, according to Overton, and the city needs to focus on its state-mandated responsibility to residential customers.

The decision to adjust services was not based on an immediate budget deficit but on longer-term trends and projections of increasing costs. Service rates will not change in 2025, and Overton told the council that he wanted to reduce costs where possible before considering an increase.

“We need to demonstrate that we’re being the most efficient, providing the best amount of service possible, before we go to increased rates,� he reiterated to the Daily Sun. “It’s hard for me to go into that conversation with city leadership if we haven’t cleaned up our own house. It’s not that we were misusing funds or spending wildly and buying extra fuel; it’s just the cost of everything is up.�

The reduction of bulky waste collection was the most-discussed change during Overton’s presentation to city council. Councilmember Miranda Sweet expressed concern that the change might discourage pine needle cleanup.

“I don’t want the new bulky trash pickup schedule to impact the need for us to keep our yards clean and fire-wise,� Sweet said.

Overton agreed and said Public Works is considering working with other city departments, including the fire department, to coordinate a citywide pine needle cleanup in the fall.

That might entail mobilizing volunteers to assist residents in raking and bagging needles, though no details have been confirmed yet.

“We’ve thought about that, and we think we can support it, but it would be an additional program,� he said.

Councilmember Austin Aslan wondered whether some residents might “come up with their own solutions� to reduced pickup frequency, such as dumping trash on national forest lands. Overton told the council that the Public Works department has a strong working relationship with the Coconino National Forest and would respond quickly if the U.S. Forest Service observed any increase in illegal dumping.

“I am very hopeful that our program changes aren’t going to result in an uptick,� Overton told the Daily Sun. “We had that same fear when we closed the landfill on Sundays. There was this fear that people would go out there on Sunday and be pissed off and just start dumping it in the woods. Didn’t happen.�

Overton emphasized that the landfill accepts residential bulk waste from rate-payers at no additional charge.

“We think we may see an uptick in people bringing trash out themselves, and that’s OK. We welcome that,� he said.

Residential customers simply need to show a copy of their water bill from the city (which also includes solid waste collection service) to access the landfill.

Aslan also questioned whether the changes to holiday collection times might confuse people. Overton acknowledged that “holidays are very confusing,� but hopes that increased notifications through the department’s email system and “getting residents to watch that schedule� will help.

“Next-day� collections for holidays are “not always practical from the scheduling standpoint,� Overton added, especially for holidays that fall on a Thursday or Friday. Allowing for “forward flex� should reduce overtime pay and collection delays, he said, and ensure that employees are getting appropriate time off.

The landfill will also be closed on holidays.

To receive updates about holiday collection schedules -- or any other changes -- customers can sign up for notifications through the Public Works Department’s trash and recycling webpage at .

“We’re encouraging people to get in there and sign up for that service,� Overton said.