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.”
