Phoenix is offering incentives to holders of a commercial driver’s license in an attempt to deal with bulk trash collection delays.

Starting Monday, Nov. 28, city employees across all departments who are in a commercial driver’s position and have valid CDLs will receive an additional $3 an hour, the city announced.

Councilman Carlos Garcia said the incentives are “long overdue” as the city tries to cope with the trash problem.

"By taking care of our city workers, we can also do right by our residents. We apologize for the inconvenience the bulk trash collection delays have caused and moving forward, we hope to have better systems in place to communicate with our residents when issues arise."

The extra $3 is in addition to the hiring incentive of $2,500 for new solid waste equipment operators and the retention incentive of $3,000 for current operators.

 The 2022 quarterly bulk trash schedule is facing collection delays of up to several weeks in some areas due mainly to a nationwide shortage of CDL operators, city officials said in a release.

All customers will receive their fourth-quarter bulk trash service, but the schedule has been updated, beginning Monday, Nov. 21, officials said.

Meantime, the city announced there are other disposal options. Residential customers may dispose of one load of up to 1 ton at a city transfer station each month at no charge. 

Anyone making a drop-off will need to show their city services bill and a matching ID.