City’s Zero Waste by 2040 plan drives weekly trash collections

The Sanitation Services Department serves City of Dallas’ 240,000 households by providing them with programs and services that effectively and efficiently manage municipal solid waste generated within the City of Dallas. These key services benefit the community and environment by garnering benefit from waste resources and services that promote waste reduction, resource recovery and support to existing City sustainability efforts. In addition to solid waste collection, Sanitation Services operates and maintains the McCommas Bluff Landfill and three associated transfer stations.

In spring 2011, the City began a planning process to identify the policies, programs and infrastructure that will be needed to manage the discarded materials (municipal solid waste and recyclable materials) generated in the City over the next 50 years. The resulting Local Solid Waste Management Plan (Plan) is the beginning of a long-term systematic effort to achieve the vision of the Zero Waste by 2040. This Plan describes the policies and programs that could be implemented to achieve the City’s goal of Zero Waste by 2040, with the interim steps of 40 percent diversion by 2020 and 60 percent by 2030. By striving for sustainability by considering the entire life-cycle of products, processes, and systems that will ultimately reduce the volume and toxicity of discarded materials and maximize diversion from disposal. This vision will spur economic growth by recovering valuable raw materials and clean energy from discarded materials.

To this, the City provides residences with a grey roll cart for automated garbage collection and blue roll cart for recyclables. Once per week, residential garbage and recycling (municipal solid waste) is collected by Sanitation Services.

What can be picked up?

• Items like mixed paper, plastic containers, cardboard, metal cans, glass bottles, jars and cartons can be placed in the blue recycling carts.
• Residential brush and bulky items like branches, furniture, bagged leaves, appliances and mattresses can be set to the curb on designated pickup days.
• Household Hazardous Waste (HHW), which includes batteries, oil, paint and antifreeze must be disposed of at the Dallas County Home Chemical Collection Center on Plano Road.

Yard debris, concrete or rocks, large pieces of metal, dirt and construction debris can be picked up under Cost Plus, a service that provides on-demand collection for construction or remodeling materials. This service can also be used for on-demand collection of brush and bulky items outside of the normal collection week.

Sanitation Services will also collect dead animals from residences and public rights-of-way. City personnel cannot collect dead animals from under buildings, attics, ditches, or from private property. The service is available seven days a week. If the call is made before 2 p.m., the animal can be collected the same day. To arrange for this service, call 3-1-1.

For more information on all programs and information offered by Sanitation Services, visit their website: www.dallascityhall.com/departments/sanitation.