By Sara Beth Williams–
Some residents in portions of Citrus Heights Neighborhood Area 2 reported confusion in early January regarding Republic Services’ scheduled Neighborhood Clean Up collection dates.
According to several residents, notification flyers typically distributed about a week in advance of bulk pickup were not received, yet some residences were observed to have placed large trash items for pickup during the first week of January. Some residents reported contacting Republic Services to ask about the status of their neighborhood bulk collection date.
In a statement provided to The Sentinel on Jan. 8, the city said both the city and Republic Services “acknowledged that some residents received incorrect information” regarding their scheduled cleanup dates during the first week of January.
City officials apologized for the confusion and stated that all customers would still receive service on their regularly scheduled Neighborhood Clean Up day later in the month. Officials said affected residents would be notified of their correct pickup date through door hangers specifying the exact service date.
On Jan. 9, Republic Services customers in the affected area received an automated phone message stating that Neighborhood Clean Up collection was scheduled for Jan. 26. Some streets had already received bulk pickup services prior to that message.
According to the city, a scheduling issue affected several streets, including Morningside Way, Evening Way, Autumn Avenue, Oak Forest Street, and Grand Oaks Boulevard. Customers on those streets are expected to receive door hangers with their correct bulk trash collection date.
“This was a situation where some incorrect information was pushed out to the community,” said Manager of External Communications James Richardson, a regional representative for Republic Services. “That misinformation was what created the problem, and some residents had trash out and some did not.”
Richardson said he could not confirm whether the Jan. 26 pickup date differed from prior years, noting that several factors impact scheduling of neighborhood bulk pickups. He said route changes and date changes can occur to improve efficiency, to avoid holidays, or in response to community concerns.
In a second phone call, Richardson said the annual schedule of Neighborhood Clean Up dates had already been preapproved sometime in late 2025.
A publicly available document on the city’s website listed multiple bulk pickup dates for different streets within Area 2, including Tuesday, Jan. 6, Wednesday, Jan. 7, Thursday, Jan. 8, and Monday, Jan. 26. Streets including Autumn Avenue, Evening Way, Grand Oaks Boulevard, Morningside Way, and Oak Forest Way were listed with a collection date of Jan. 26.
On Monday, Jan. 19, some residents who had already received Neighborhood Clean Up service on Jan. 7 reported receiving door hangers indicating an additional pickup scheduled for Jan. 26.
City officials and Republic Services encouraged residents to rely on door hanger as the official notification of their bulk trash collection date and to use the schedule posted on the city’s website as a general planning reference.
Residents with questions are encouraged to contact Republic Services or the city’s General Services Department.
Currently, the Neighborhood Clean Up program allows residents to place out bulk items for collection three times per year. The dates of collection alternate between neighborhood zones throughout the city.
In response to growing concern over illegal dumping, the Citrus Heights City Council passed an amendment in November 2024 that authorized Republic Services to begin imposing existing “Improper Large Item Collection” fees for trash piles placed out for collection in violation of the 48-hour set-out limits.
While officially fines took effect in January 2025, the waste management company emphasized that during the first four-month cycle in 2025, fines would not be imposed, but that Republic Services would focus on educating residences and account holders found to be in violation. After the first cycle of collection services in 2025, Republic Services was then authorized to issue “Improper Large Item Collection” penalties.
