Plan to Kill Alleyway Trash Pickup for Some Sparks Outcry in Dallas
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A group of Dallas residents is up in arms over an administrative decision to phase out alleyway trash pickup, with an online petition calling on city leaders to reverse course, having garnered more than 2,400 signatures in just a few days.
The city’s Sanitation Services department is moving to end trash and recycling pickup next year for 26,000 Dallas households with narrow or challenging alleys, including those that are 9 feet wide or less; alleys that dead-end and are at least 200 feet long; and unpaved gravel alleys.
Sanitation Services Director Cliff Gillespie says curbside trash pickup is faster, cheaper, and safer. Solid waste collection as a profession regularly ranks among the top 10 deadliest jobs in the United States, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
The notion of eliminating alleyway trash pickup is not a new one at City Hall, though steps to implement it have previously fizzled out in the face of significant opposition.
Gillespie, who, according to city code, has the authority to make the change, is moving forward despite opposition from residents who say the change will have a serious impact on elderly homeowners and people with disabilities. The sanitation director has the power to determine who has permission to place bins in a city alley without approval from elected officials. He gave a presentation to the city council in June 2024.
“By the letter of the city code, alley service is by exception, not by rule,” Gillespie told the Dallas Morning News.
Preston Hollow homeowner Libby Collet launched a petition on Change.org earlier this week. She subsequently sent a letter to officials requesting a public dialogue between the city and concerned residents.
“Our city council people don’t even get a vote on this, so this is one person’s decision affecting 26,000 people in the city of Dallas,” she said, speaking with CandysDirt.com.
The city’s plan involves implementing the switch for impacted alleyways in two phases next year: roughly 19,000 customers starting January 16, 2026, and another 7,000 on July 20, 2026. A new city dashboard has launched an interactive heat map that can show you if and when your residence will be affected.
Collet said that while there are many serious practical issues with the change (you can read the comments on the petition), the burden it would place on some could be too much for them to remain in their current homes.
“I’ve heard a lot from seniors and people with physical limitations,” she said. “They don’t know how they’re going to get their trash bins that are heavy once they’re full of trash out there.”
Some of the petition’s signatories spoke to that effect in their comments:
The city already has a program called Helping Hands. Qualifying residents can enroll for weekly assistance with getting their trash and recycling bins where they need to go, but Collet said she’s skeptical about the program’s effectiveness, especially considering Gillespie’s plan would potentially add to the number of eligible residents.
“I’m not hearing great things about the Helping Hands program — bottom line,” she said. “Nice idea, but is that really going to work weekly?”
Older neighborhoods like Collet’s were specifically designed to function around single-family homes with rear-facing garages and driveways that back into an alleyway. Benefits have included increased curb appeal and utility service efficiencies. Developers and planners were also able to narrow roads and fit more homes on a given acreage.
“You start dragging stuff out into the front of the house and it’s competing with cars that are parked there, people mowing their yards, and everything else,” Collet said.
Some critics of the city’s successful push to eliminate or reduce parking minimums claimed the move would result in an increase in unwanted curbside parking in single-family neighborhoods. Throw in curbside trash pickup and the alley way of life may be in for a real shakeup.
“This actually is a wonderful design that we have in these neighborhoods to keep them aesthetically pleasing, and [ending alleyway trash pickup] doesn’t abide by that, it destroys it,” Collet said. “And again, the hardship that it puts on some people, it’s not right.”
Dallas City Council is in recess until August, but Collet said she’s been in communication with city staff and a request for some kind of dialogue could be in the works. In the letter she sent the city, she called for:
- Immediate community input opportunities.
- A transparent and public evaluation of the business rationale for this change.
- An audience with decision-makers — including the City Manager and Director of Sanitation — joined by affected neighborhood representatives.
- Clear accountability from city services regarding the decline in service quality and equity.
In his interview with DMN, Gillespie said impacted residents will be receiving mail notifying them of the coming change. They may also find notification stickers on their trash and recycling bins.
“We understand that many residents who are being asked to change the way they set out their garbage and recycling will be frustrated by this transition,” he told the outlet. “Change is difficult, especially when it affects weekly routines that have been in place for many years.”
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I am totally against curbside pickup due to my age and disability.
This isn’t about safety or effiencency. It’s budgetary. They want to cut as many contract workers off the payroll as possible. Downgrading the quality of life for real home owners seems to be the goal here in Dallas. Kudos to Libby for her efforts. We are having the same issue in southwestern Dallas, District 3. Would love to partner with Libby on messaging.
Hi Raymond! Would love the help from District 3! Do you have an email address where I could reach you?
I am against front curb trash service. We are a retired couple in our late 70s. Alley trash service is safe and easy – just roll bins to end of driveway. However, to roll 2 bins to our front entry, we will need to roll them out our driveway, down the alley, make a right turn down a side street, and make another right turn for 1/2 block – which is a downward slant as we live on a hill. Then they need to returned bins uphill!
This is a total slap in the face and an insult to beautiful Dallas neighborhoods. Our city council people should have power over this. We have an entire Street full of signatures ready to present to the city as well. I remember one of our sanitation officials once bragging about having almost 100% curbside pickup in Houston, where he previously worked. But Houston has no alleys. Dallas is a beautiful design putting garbage carts out of sight instead of in our front yards. Please don’t let it get ruined.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2023 (the latest figures), transportation incidents are the leading cause of fatalities for refuse and recyclable materials collection. Transportation incidents accounted for 37% of all fatalities. For solid waste collection in particular, 67% of deaths were due to transportation-related accidents. This includes being struck by vehicles, accidents while operating collection trucks, and issues on busy roadways. The high frequency of road exposure makes waste workers particularly vulnerable.
Given that alleyway pickup takes workers off of busy streets, I would think alleyway pickup would be safer for them. Just saying.
Good point. And think of all the liability trying to pick through parked cars with a grabber.
Good point about the cars. Our street is almost as narrow as the alley when considering the parked cars. Surely they wouldn’t make those who park on the street move their cars.
I am elderly but can move the bins to the front of the house. However, the walk is a bit over 700 feet.
My other three options are (1) roll a bin down to the alley and across the street and place the bin on the green belt (a bit less than 300 feet) , (2) leave the bin on my sidewall leading to the house during the week, or (3) provide us the bags we used before the bins.
BTW, our alley not as narrow as the alley shown in their article. So, perhaps our neighborhood won’t be affected.
Couldn’t edit my comment. Per the current heat map our neighborhood is unaffected. Crossing fingers an eyes. And couldn’t reply to my comment…
Eight out of ten of the largest cities in Texas outsource their residential garbage collection in order to lower costs, improve efficiencies and eliminate injuries to city employees. Rather than to once again (twice weekly to once weekly collection change in 2010) reduce the quality of a city service most used by residents, the City should show some initiative in better matching service delivery with resident expectations.
This is terrible city management that has been sneakily shoved at Dallas homeowners without any real opportunity for input. (Weakened local journalism is another conversation.) The four streets north of Willow Lane in zip 75244 are already under the regime and it looks “trashy.” The result will be diminished property values.
Libby – I tried to sign the petition, but it is apparently closed to new signers. I suspect if it were still open, you’d have well over the 10,000 signers that was the stated goal. Every neighbor I’ve talked to on my block of Lupton are against this action. What can I do to help?
My husband and I are in our 70s. With alley trash pick up, my husband moves our 2 trash/recycle bins the length of our driveway to the alley for pick up and then returns them. But to move these 2 bins to the front of our house, I (the wife) will now need to make 4 trips: 1) drag one bin down the alley, make a right turn, go to end of block, make another right turn, go to mid block, and park bin, 2) walk back to our driveway, 3 ) REPEAT with 2nd bin, and 4) walk back to our driveway. In afternoon I repeat the 4 trips to return bins to our driveway: 1) walk from driveway to front of house, 2) drag first bin to our driveway, 3) walk back to front of house, 4) and drag 2nd bin to our driveway. Our house is at the top of a hill, so trying to control heavy bins going downhill is dangerous and then a big struggle to drag them uphill in the afternoon. Very unfair policy and dangerous to our seniors – especially during bad weather or icy conditions.