The city of Dallas will transition approximately 6,000 households with alleys to curbside trash pick up in February. But that affects significantly fewer people than in the initial proposal.
The latest proposal comes two years after the city rolled out a plan to phase out all alleyway trash service — which would have affected about 95,000 households. That plan was paused by a year after strong opposition by residents. An updated proposal would have phased out alley trash pickup for households with alleyway pavement nine feet wide or less and equipped with front driveways, impacting around 26,000 residents.
Residents impacted by the proposed plan spoke out during city council meetings for months and more than 13,000 people signed an online petition to keep their current trash system.
Preston Hollow resident Libby Collet — who started the petition — called the latest plan a win for residents.
"I think finally we're embracing, or the city is embracing, this wonderful design that we have for utilities and trash service to be kept in these alleys as opposed to on public streets," she said.
She added that supporters of the Keep Alley Trash movement are optimistic that most homes will keep their alley trash service. They just hope another proposal does not come back in the future.
The city has slowly transitioned neighborhoods with alleys to curbside pickup over the years.
Director of Sanitation Cliff Gillespie told the City Council last year that varying alley conditions contributed to high maintenance costs, increased equipment damage, and safety risks.
But residents were concerned about the maintenance and safety of the alleyways if they stopped being utilized for trash pickup. Older residents were also concerned about accessibility issues with bringing trash cans from the back of their house to the front.
The homes impacted by the change have alleys that dead-end, are narrow, or have paths with dirt, gravel, and deteriorated surfaces, according to the city.
Trash collection days will stay the same. All households impacted by the change will receive a mailed noticed ahead of the transition. Dallas residents can go online to the Department of Sanitation Services webpage and search their address on a map to see if the change applies to their home.
Collet said, realistically, they were never going to keep 100% of current alley trash service. However, she said they made a difference.
"I think that if [the city] could have gotten away with it, they would have," Collet said regarding eliminating more alley trash pickup.
The group's next step is to assess a tiered rate structure, which the sanitation department will present to City Council in August.
That tiered rate structure was floated in discussions with residents as a compromise because of the need for more staff and equipment to service alleyways.
Collet encourages residents who will keep their alley trash pickup to reach out to their city council member to share thoughts on prices. The group is asking for a price freeze for homeowners with disabilities and those 65 years and older.
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