Gilbert, Ariz.- In the past year, Gilbert has encountered seven garbage truck fires, mainly due to hazardous materials improperly disposed of in trash and recycling bins, as well as unbroken cardboard boxes. These fires put our drivers and neighborhoods at serious risk.

When a fire starts inside a collection truck, drivers are forced to quickly dump the load onto the street to prevent the fire from spreading. This creates a dangerous situation that can shut down roads and neighborhoods for a long period of time while emergency crews work to contain the fire and clean up the debris. These incidents also divert critical resources, such as police officers, firefighters, and Public Works crews, from serving the community in other emergencies.

The good news is that these fires can be prevented through proper recycling and trash disposal.

Common Causes of Truck Fires

Items that should never go in your trash or recycling bins include:

• All batteries
• Paint and chemicals
• Household hazardous waste
• Electronics

Accepted Recycling Items

• Cardboard boxes: Always break down boxes and remove packing materials. No soiled/greasy items.
• Metal: Food and beverage containers. Steel, tin, and aluminum only.
• Paper: Except soiled, shredded, metallic, waxed, or tissue.
• Plastic: Bottles, jugs, and jars only.

Gilbert does not accept household hazardous waste in regular collection bins, but has designated drop-off areas for their safe disposal. A hazardous waste drop-off facility is available to Gilbert residents for items such as batteries, automobile tires, fuels and fluids, pool chemicals, paint buckets, and so much more! See all accepted items.

Glass can be disposed of in your regular trash container or recycled at one of our glass recycling drop-off locations. 

Before tossing an item, take a moment to check whether it belongs in the trash, recycling bin, or Household Hazardous Waste Facility.

Together, we can help protect our drivers and neighborhoods while keeping Gilbert clean and safe. Not sure if an item is trash or recyclable? Use our Waste Wizard search bar to look up how to dispose of common household items.

For more recycling information, frequently asked questions, and disposal guidelines, visit gilbertaz.gov/recycle.