Brush & Bulky Item Separation Pilot



​About the Pilot           Purpose           Guidelines           Areas           FAQs           Additional Resources











 

Pilot Period Concluded

The Brush and Bulky Item Separation Pilot has concluded.  The Department of Sanitation extends its thanks to the residents in the six neighborhoods that participated.   This site will be updated at a future date with pilot outcomes and recommendations.

Regular collection now resumes.  Find set out rules and your collection week here.


About the Pilot


Six neighborhoods have been selected by the City of Dallas to participate in a three-month Brush and Bulky Item Separation Pilot Program, from October through December 2021. During this time, residents in the pilot areas will continue to receive monthly brush collection service during their regular collection week. Bulky trash collection transitions to a quarterly service, being collected only once during the three-month pilot period. On the designed bulky item collection month, pick up of those items will be the same week  as brush collection, but bulky items will be picked up seperately. Bulky items must be placed in a separate pile from green waste (brush) materials. The total volume of set out each month remains limited to 10 cubic yards.
 

Purpose

The purpose of the brush and bulky item separation pilot is two-fold. First, it is in furtherance of the City's Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan (CECAP) goals related to waste diversion. Under the present program, brush and bulky waste are co-mingled at the curb, resulting in all collected materials being discarded in the landfill. Collecting green waste such as brush, lawn trimmings and leaves (in compostable paper bags) separately will allow for beneficial reuse of those items, such as for mulch and compost, diverting them from the landfill. We estimate diverting green waste collected through our monthly brush service citywide would double Dallas' current waste diversion rate, from 20% to 40%. 

Our second goal is to improve the efficiency of our service while preserving the frequency of its most used component, brush collection. The Department of Sanitation has provided the brush and bulky item collection service at a loss over the last several years. The volume of waste set out for collection has increased along with labor and equipment costs to provide the service, but the residential Sanitation fee has not increased sufficiently to cover these costs. Rate increases to continue the service are inevitable, but our goal is to balance the proposed FY 2021-22 increase and future increases with how most of our customers are currently utilizing our services, while being mindful of our future environmental impacts.

Guidelines

  1. Brush continues to be collected monthly, on your neighborhood's regular brush collection week.  Find your schedule by clicking your neighborhood below.
    1. Tree limbs and shrubbery (Individual pieces not exceeding 8 inches in diameter or 10 feet in length), and yard trimmings (organic yard waste such as leaves, grass, and twigs in compostable paper bags)
  2. Bulky item collection will occur once during the 3-month pilot period.  Find which month bulky items will be collected for your neighborhood by clicking the link for your neighborhood below.
    1. Furniture, appliances (refrigerants removed, if applicable, doors removed from refrigerators), mattresses, other household objects too large to fit in your roll cart.
  3. When bulky items are placed out for collection, they must be placed in a seperate pile from brush materials.
  4. The existing 10 cubic yard limit remains in place for the total volume of set out each month.  A once annual oversize collection of up to 20 cubic yards may be requested by calling 311 the week in advance of collection.

Pilot Areas







Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 


When is brush and bulky item collection service for my neighborhood?

If you live in one of the pilot areas, click on the link or map of your neighborhood above for specific collection information.  You may also enter your address in the app above for specific collection information for your location, download a collection calendar, and sign-up for collection alerts.


How was my neighborhood chosen for this pilot?

Selected neighborhoods are each approximately 800-1,000 homes with clearly delineated boundaries for our crews in the field to work within, and each have transportation challenges to disposal sites for our staff to test.


How do I place materials at the curb during my brush and bulky item collection month?

Materials may be set out as early as 7 a.m. on the Thursday prior to your collection week. Materials must be placed at the curb by 7 a.m. the Monday of the pickup week.

  • Brush and bulky trash must be placed just behind the curb line in front of your home
  • Do not place in the street, on the sidewalk, or in any manner that will interfere with vehicular or pedestrian traffic or with solid waste collection service
  • Do not place within 5 feet of a roll cart, mailbox, fence or wall, water meter, telephone connection box, parked cars, fire hydrant, utility pole, or traffic sign
  • Do not place under low hanging tree limbs or power lines, in an alley, or in front of a vacant lot or business

 

How should leaves and lawn trimmings be bagged?

Leaves and lawn trimmings should be in paper bags.  Large (30 gallon+) compostable paper bags are generally available at home improvement stores.

Plastic bags contaminate clean green waste.  They cannot be efficiently sorted by machine.  Materials in plastic bags set out curbside during brush collection only months will not be collected.  Brush set outs with plastic bags intermingled may not be collected if our staff cannot easily separate them from the pile.


How much material can I set out for collection?

Residential customers receive monthly brush and bulky trash curbside collection of up to 10 cubic yards.  Customers may request an oversize collection of up to 20 cubic yards once per calendar year by calling 3-1-1 or submitting a service request online or through our mobile application Dallas 311.  The service request must be submitted the week prior to the customer's brush/bulk collection week.  A service request can be submitted up until Sunday 11:59PM the day before their scheduled Monday collection Week.  The service request can not be cancelled once submitted.

 Set outs exceeding the 10 cubic yard limit (or annual 20 cubic yard limit) or which contain prohibited items will generally be collected, and the customer will automatically be billed for the non-compliant set out at a rate of $60 per 5 cubic yards, billed in 5 cubic yard increments.  Major violations (generally over 120 cubic yards) will be referred to Code Compliance for abatement.

 

What can be included in bulky item collection?

  • Furniture
  • Appliances (refrigerants removed, if applicable, doors removed from refrigerators)
  • Mattresses
  • Household objects too large for routine placement in normal collection vehicles via the provided roll cart

 If you have bulky items that are in good condition and still functional, please consider donating them to the Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries of Dallas, Habitat for Humanity or any other local donation center.


What items are prohibited?

  • Household refuse (garbage/trash)
  • Bottles, cans cardboard or paper recyclables    
  • Concrete, Plaster, Lumber, Dirt, Rocks or Other Construction/Demolition Debris
  • Automobile Parts & Tires
    • Parts or machinery containing gasoline may be taken to a hazardous waste collection facility, such as Dallas County Home Chemical Collection Center (free to City of Dallas residents). Parts or machinery not containing chemical products may be disposed of at a scrap yard.
    • Customers may dispose of up to six (6) tires (not exceeding 25 inches in diameter) at McCommas Bluff Landfill or a transfer station.
  • Electronics

 

What happens if I place prohibited items at the curb?

Prohibited items will not be collected.  Code Compliance may issue a citation for set out of prohibited items or related violations.


What happens if I place leaves and/or lawn trimmings out in plastic bags?

Plastic bags should be placed in roll carts for collection.

Plastic bags will not be collected during brush only collection months.  Brush set outs with plastic bags intermingled may not be collected if our staff cannot easily separate them from the pile.


What happens to the green waste collected during the pilot?

Sanitation staff is also testing strategies for the post-collection handling of green waste during the pilot.  We will evaluate our capacity to keep these materials segregated during processing from transfer stations to McCommas Bluff Landfill.  Our intent is to have these materials mulched and made available for their beneficial reuse at the landfill and by other City departments, such as Park and Recreation.


What happens in January after the pilot is over?

Regular monthly brush and bulky item collection will resume.  Sanitation will report to City management and the City Council on what we learn and make a recommendation on next steps.


How can I provide my feedback before, during, and after the pilot?

Please plan to attend a virtual community meeting for your neighborhood to learn more about the pilot program and have your questions answered. Click the link to your neighborhood in the section above for specific meeting information.

We also welcome your direct feedback during and after the pilot program.  Send questions and comments to us at sanbrushbulkpilot@dallascityhall.com or call (214) 670-7950.


I have a question not answered here, where can I get more information?

Send questions and comments to us at sanbrushbulkpilot@dallascityhall.com or call (214) 670-7950.


How can I get updates and reminders on sanitation services?

Visit the Sanitation website, check NextDoor, or download the Dallas Sanitation Services app from the Apple App Store or Google Play to find the latest updates on the pilot. 


Can I opt out from participating in the pilot?

If you place brush or bulky items out during the pilot period, you must follow the pilot program guidelines.

Alternatively, you may take materials to one of our facilities at a time convenient for you.  There is no charge for Dallas residents in passenger cars, station wagons, pickups, and trailers less than 15 feet long hauling their own waste from their residences to the landfill or a transfer station. (A current, valid Texas driver's license showing a Dallas address or a current Dallas water utilities bill is required as proof of residency.)

Landfill and transfer station hours of operation can be found on our website here.


Where can I buy compostable paper bags?

Large (30 gallon+) compostable paper bags are generally available at home improvement stores.