GUAM Solid Waste Management division
Services - Collection
Frequently Asked Questions about Guam’s New Trash Cart System
In June 2010, the Solid Waste Management Division (SWMD) completed the transition to a cart-based system for residential trash collection. The following questions and answers will provide information about the new trash cart system.
- Registration and Cart Delivery
- Collection
- Using Your Cart/Excess Trash Stickers
- Fees
- Recycling and Other Services
See main FAQS section for Frequently Asked Questions about the Receivership
Registration and Cart Delivery
1. How do I register for collection service and a trash cart?
Residents who still want to register for trash service and receive a new covered, rolling trash cart, can do so by filling out the registration form (www.guamsolidwastereceiver.org/pdf/Registration Form.pdf ; also available at the SWMD office) and bringing it to the SWMD at 542 North Marine Corps Drive, Tumon, Guam 96913. Residents can also contact SWMD customer service representatives at 646-3111 for more information on the process.
2. How and when will the trash carts be distributed?
After the registration occurs, SWMD employees will deliver the new trash cart to your home. A customer service representative will tell you more about delivery when you register for the service.
3. I am off island. How can I register?
If you are off island, please download the registration form. Next, fill out the form, and fax or mail it to the SWMD (542 North Marine Corps Drive, Tumon, Guam 96913; fax: 649-3777). When you return to Guam, you will need to call a SWMD customer service representative (646-3111) to discuss the location of your house/service unit and where the cart will be set out for collection. If you do not have Internet access and cannot download the registration form, when you return to Guam, please come to the SWMD office to fill out the form. Once the SWMD has processed the registration form and identified the service unit and location, service can begin.
Collection
1. When will my trash be collected?
When you register for trash collection service, the SWMD will tell you what day of the week your trash will be collected. You should simply set out your trash cart on your designated collection day the week after you receive your new cart.
2. Where should I put my cart out for collection?
On collection day, the carts must be set out adjacent to the road and where a SWMD employee can roll the cart to the truck without having to lift it.
3. I live on a narrow street. How will the truck be able to pick up my cart?
The SWMD has surveyed all the streets and pick-up locations in Guam. We will service narrow streets and hard-to-reach areas with smaller “special collections” trucks that will have the same mechanical lifter devices as the larger trucks in the fleet. In the event certain roads turn out to be too narrow for the collection crews, a SWMD representative will personally contact the customer to discuss the situation.
4. Whom can I call if I don’t know my collection day?
When you register for trash collection service, you will be informed of the day of collection and again in the information packet delivered with the cart. If you have questions about the specific day, you can call the SWMD Customer Service line (646-3111).
5. Whom can I call if the trash truck accidentally misses my regular pick up?
You can call the SWMD Customer Service line (646-3111).
6. If a holiday falls on my collection day, when will my trash be collected?
The only holidays when the SWMD do not provide collection service are Christmas and New Year’s Day. If these holidays fall on your trash collection day, the trash collection schedule will “slide” one day. For example, if your trash collection day is Monday, and there is a Monday holiday, your trash will be collected on Tuesday. Those with regular Tuesday collection will receive service on Wednesday, and so on.
Using Your Cart/Excess Trash Stickers
1. When should I first roll out my new cart for collection?
You can start using your cart as soon as it is delivered. On your next collection day, please roll your cart to the curb or pick-up/service location 12 hours before collection. Please remove it no later than 12 hours after collection.
2. How much does the cart hold?
Your 95-gallon cart will hold about three (3) full 32-gallon plastic bags or seven (7) full 13-gallon plastic kitchen bags of household trash.
3. What should I put in my cart?
Your trash cart is to be used for household trash only: consumer packaging, soiled paper, rags, paper towels, tissues, and chicken and meat bones. All trash must be bagged.
4. Why does trash in the cart need to be bagged?
A mechanical device on the trash truck will lift your cart and empty your trash bags from your cart into the truck. If the trash in your cart is loose, the cart may not empty properly, and loose trash could blow around, causing litter. Loose trash in your cart can also soil the inside of your cart.
5. Is there a weight limit for the cart?
Yes. Please do not fill your cart with more than 335 pounds of household trash. The mechanical lifter is unable to lift overloaded carts, and heavy carts could injure collection crews.
6. Do I have to line my cart with a trash bag or other liner?
No. Just be sure to put all your household trash in plastic trash bags. That way, you’ll keep your cart clean, and your cart can be emptied properly.
7. Are there things I cannot put in the cart?
Yes. As soon as you receive your new trash cart, the following items are banned from collection:
Bricks, concrete and drywall- Cardboard
- Grass clippings
- Prunings, wood and other yard waste
- Rocks, dirt and sand
In addition, these hazardous materials must never be put in your trash cart:
- Household hazardous waste (batteries, paint, pesticides, fluorescent light bulbs, antifreeze, etc.)
- Explosives
- Medical waste, sharps (needles)
8. Why are cardboard, yard waste, rocks, building materials and sand/dirt banned?
These banned materials can all be recycled, either in your yard or at local businesses on the island. It doesn’t make sense to take up valuable, rapidly diminishing space at the Ordot Dump when these materials can be recycled. The ban on these materials will extend the life of the Dump until the new landfill is completed. After the new landfill opens, the ban will lengthen the landfill’s life and increase recycling on Guam. When you register for collection, you will receive information about where you can take the banned items.
9. What do I do if my cart is stolen, damaged or destroyed?
If your cart does not work properly due to a manufacturing defect, please call the SWMD Customer Service line (646-3111) to request a SWMD employee to repair the cart or deliver a new one at no cost to you. If the cart is damaged, destroyed or stolen, please call the same number to request a replacement cart. In cases where the cart is damaged, destroyed or stolen, there will be a charge for a replacement cart and you should call your customer service representative for further details.
10. What do I do with trash that won’t fit into the cart?
Your 95-gallon cart should meet your weekly needs, especially if you recycle as much as possible. However, at certain times of the year, you may have more trash than will fit in your cart. When you register for trash collection service, you will receive four (4) FREE trash tags to put on bags of trash that won’t fit into your cart. The SWMD collection crews will not pick up bags of trash that do not have a trash tag affixed to them.
11. Where do I get excess trash tags?
You will be able to purchase additional tags at any staffed SWMD facility, including the main SWMD offices (542 North Marine Corps Drive, Tumon) and the four Transfer Stations.
12. How much do the excess trash tags cost?
When you register you will receive four (4) FREE extra trash tags. Additional tags cost $4.00 each and may be purchased at any staffed SWMD facility: the main SWMD office, the three Transfer Stations and the Ordot Dump.
13. I think I need a second cart. What should I do?
We ask that you try to manage for a month or two with your 95-gallon cart. If after that time you find you need a second cart for weekly collection, please call SWMD Customer Service (646-3111) to request delivery of a second cart. There will be an extra monthly charge of $15 for a second cart (Fees information).
14. Will there be an option to request a smaller cart?
At this time, we can only offer the 95-gallon cart, which is the best size for most families in Guam. After the registration period has ended in December, you can call the SWMD Customer Service Desk (646-3111) to see what other options will be available.
15. What do I do with my cart if I move or want to discontinue service?
Your trash cart is the property of the SWMD and must not be removed from your property. If you move or discontinue service, the cart must be returned to the SWMD. Please call Customer Service at 646-3111 to arrange for pick up.
16. How should I take care of my cart?
Your cart requires little care other than an occasional hosing with water. (Afterwards, be sure to empty all water from the bottom of the cart and allow it to dry.) When your cart is delivered, you will receive additional instructions on its use and care.
17. Where should I store my cart?
Store your cart in your backyard, car port, garage or any other convenient, safe location.
18. Can I continue to use my old garbage cans?
No. Trash collection crews will only collect trash from trash carts and bags with trash tags. You can use your old garbage cans to collect recyclable materials. Please note that you will no longer need cages or platforms for your trash containers. Please remove them.
19. What should I do with my old garbage cans?
You can use your old garbage cans to collect recyclable materials. If you decide you don’t want your old cans anymore, trash collectors will collect and dispose of them as long as each can has a trash tag attached to it where the collectors can see it. For each can, you can use one of the four free trash tags you received when you registered for service, or purchase a tag for $4 at the main SWMD office, the three Transfer Stations or the Ordot Dump.
Fees
1. What will be the monthly trash collection fee for one cart?
The monthly charge for weekly trash collection for one 95-gallon cart will be phased in as shown on the Collection Fees Schedule.
2. How much extra will it cost for a second cart?
The additional monthly cost for a second cart will be $15, so if you have two carts once the fees are phased in, your total monthly charge will be $45.
3. How were the fees determined?
The monthly fees were calculated by determining the cost of collection and disposal, including the costs for equipment, staff, fuel and disposal at the Ordot Dump until it is closed, and after the Dump closes, disposal at the Layon Landfill. These costs include those for construction of the new landfill and debt service on the loans and bonds of the Government of Guam to pay for it.
4. If I don’t need collection every week, do I still pay the monthly fee?
Yes. As with any business operation, the SWMD has certain costs that do not change. We will service the homes on your street, whether you cart is at the curb or not, and we must charge for this service.
5. How do I pay for trash collection service?
The SWMD will bill you for collection service. You can pay via GuamPay Online, the official secure online payment system of the Government of Guam available at www.guampay.com, by mail or in person at the Treasurer of Guam, Bank of Guam, Bank Pacific or Citizens Security Bank/ANZ.
6. Can I still bring my trash to the Transfer Stations/Convenience Centers and to Ordot?
Yes. Please call the SWMD Customer Service Desk (646-3111) or visit the SWMD website for current prices.
Recycling and Other Services
1. Can I reduce my waste by recycling more?
Absolutely. The more you recycle, the less household trash you will have. When you register for trash collection service, the SWMD will provide you with a brochure that gives locations where you can recycle the banned materials (cardboard, grass clippings, yard waste, bricks, concrete, drywall, rocks, dirt and sand) as well as glass, plastic bottles, tires, used motor oil and more. You can also grasscycle (leave grass clippings on your lawn) and home compost, to reduce your yard waste.
2. Will there be more new services in the future?
Yes. In the future, you will be able to arrange for an appointment for curbside collection of furniture and white goods (appliances such as washing machines, stoves, dishwashers, refrigerators, hot water tanks, etc.). Customers of the SWMD will be able to request two FREE pickups per year. There will be a charge for more than two pickups. In addition, you will soon be able to take batteries, antifreeze, used motor oil, and other household toxics to a facility that will properly dispose of or recycle these items.