City of Fort Worth, TX

01/18/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/18/2025 06:26

How and when to report missed garbage collections

How and when to report missed garbage collections

Published on January 18, 2025

Exceptional customer service and consistency remain the highest priorities of the City of Fort Worth's residential collections program. However, at times, there may be delays or instances of a missed collection.

Collection times vary: Remember that garbage, recycling, yard waste and bulk waste are each collected by different contracted crews. Collection times on your collection day may vary, and are not all collected together.

It is often reported that a garbage cart was collected but not the recycling cart, or the garbage and recycling carts were collected but not the yard waste pile, etc., only to discover that crews had not reached their neighborhood or street yet, and was collected later in the day. This type of call causes an unnecessary influx of reported misses. Please wait until after 7 p.m. on your collection day to confirm if any of your collections were missed. This helps utilize staff and resources to address actual misses.

When to report: Missed collections for garbage, recycling, and yard waste must be reported within 24 hours after your scheduled collection day.

  • Monday missed collections must be reported on Tuesday by 6 pm.
  • Tuesday missed collections must be reported on Wednesday by 6 pm.
  • Wednesday missed collections must be reported on Thursday by 6 pm.
  • Thursday missed collections must be reported on Friday by 6 pm.
  • Friday missed collections must be reported on Saturday by 4 pm.

If a missed collection is reported after the 24-hour period required to report the miss, the contractor will not be able to return to collect your items.

Ways to report:

In the event of a missed collection, please:

  1. Leave carts or material at the curb.
  2. Report the missed collection in one of the following ways:
  • Use the MyFW app.
  • Contact the 311 Fort Worth Contact Center: 817-392-1234 or 311 from your cell phone.
  • Email

311 representatives are ready to assist you Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reporting missed collections and related issues to the City Call Center is the most efficient way to resolve issues and supports data collection.

Dispose items properly: Items for collection must also be properly set out and placed curbside by 7 a.m. on your collection day. Because collections are picked up separately, it is important to dispose of your items (i.e., garbage vs. recycling; yard waste vs. bulk) by its respective method (carts, piles, Pay Bags, kraft bags, etc.) to ensure appropriate collection by the correct crews. For example, if items intended to be recycled, like cardboard boxes, are placed with or near your bulk pile, it will be collected with the bulk pile and disposed of at the landfill, not recycled.

Other disposal options: The City has four Drop-Off Station locations where residents can bring excess garbage, recycling, yard waste or bulk waste anytime throughout the year, during normal hours of operation.

You can also opt to purchase Pay Bags. Pay Bags are allowed to be set out curbside next to your brown garbage cart on your collection day for pick up. Pay Bags are available in sets of five for $15 plus tax. To order, call 817-392-1234. Pay Bags will be mailed to you and charged on your water bill.

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