DALLAS – The city of Dallas is ending alley trash pickup for thousands of homes in the city. The change has a lot of people frustrated because they say the alternative is too much of a burden.
Dallas Track Pickup Changes 
What we know:
Dallas Sanitation Services recently announced that it will switch from back alley to front curb trash pickup for about 26,000 homes beginning in January.
The original proposal was citywide. But after receiving negative feedback, the city narrowed it down to the smallest alleyways on streets where at least 60% of homes have front driveways.
Most of those homes are in the northern and eastern parts of the city. To find out if your home is affected, visit https://dallascityhall.com/departments/sanitation/Pages/curbtransition.aspx.
What they’re saying:
John Altman lives in one of those neighborhoods. He believes the change will create a significant burden because the homes were designed for alley pickup.
“Wheel the trash from here, all the way up that way, around the street, and back down in front. So we’ve got three bins, so that will be six trips,” he said.
Libby Collet said the burden is so great, she put together a petition on Change.org. It already has 5,300 signatures and stories of concern from older residents.
“She said, ‘I don’t know how I will do this. I’m a widow,” Collet said.
“If it’s rainy or if it’s snowing or if it’s icy, you’re creating a safety issue for them,” added Jim Collet, her husband.
He’s also worried that the city will stop maintaining the alleyways after the switch.
“It’s not just trash. Power goes there. Water goes there. You know, cable TV, the phone,” he said. “And if the city either doesn’t maintain those alleys or doesn’t do a good job keeping them up, then once they move the trash out, how are those other folks going to get in to do something?”
The other side:
Dallas Sanitation Director Cliff Gillespie said he empathizes.
“I understand the frustration, and I apologize for the inconvenience that the transition will cause, but really, we have to take care of our workers. The tight alley conditions are a real safety concern. Injuries do occur. So, you know, there’s also the issue of increasing costs associated with alleyway services – the damages that are caused to the right-of-way, the pavement, private property, and the sanitation trucks. Those costs continue to go up. We need to be responsible with our ratepayer’s funds,” he said.
Gillespie said the narrow alleyways have been a problem for years.
In the mid-70s, regulations changed, allowing for larger trucks. The city also now has to take the trash much farther than when the alleys were built.
What’s next:
The affected residents are holding out hope that their petition will lead to more discussion and a more favorable solution.
The Source: FOX 4’s Lori Brown gathered details for this story by talking to Dallas Sanitation Director Cliff Gillespie and residents living in the affected areas.