A year since we warily signed off on changes to alleyway trash collection in Dallas, the future of the service is once again being reevaluated.
Earlier this month, the Dallas sanitation department briefed the City Council on a proposal to discontinue alleyway trash collection for approximately 30,000 customers, about one-third of current alleyway collections. The transition would begin in January for the least serviceable alleys, those 9-feet wide or less in neighborhood blocks where most homes have front driveways. The second phase would take effect in July of next year, said Clifton Gillespie, Dallas’ sanitation director.
Last year, Dallas hit the brakes on a plan to move all trash collection to curbside service. Gillespie said the majority of resident feedback received by the sanitation department opposed eliminating alleyway pickup. Residents pointed to rear-entry garages and a lack of front-driveway access as key concerns, saying it would be difficult to roll bins to the curb.
This scaled-back version of alleyway trash discontinuation seems like a reasonable plan. The revised proposal takes into account residents’ concerns about front driveway access. The first households to experience the change would be those where the majority of the block has a front driveway. Alley collection would continue for blocks where a majority of homes do not have front driveways.
Opinion
If this is going to happen, an incremental change seems to be the best compromise. It will give residents time to adjust and the city will be able to inform residents before the rollout of the program.
However, any change to a basic city service should come with clear benefits for residents, whether through better rates or improved service. Trash pickup is a chore that isn’t going away, and neither should the city’s commitment to its customers.
The sanitation department projects a new monthly $45.69 fee for alley pickups and a $38.02 monthly bill for curbside collections. According to city data, the current residential sanitation rate is $39.73 for all residents, regardless of whether they receive alley or curb pickup.
The main concern with alleyway trash pickup is that alleys are largely serviced by rear-loading trucks that require a driver and two contract workers who ride on the back of the truck. Side-loading trucks require only the driver to operate them.
Gillespie said the goal is to gradually switch to more automated side-loading trucks to lower costs. But with only approximately one-third of alleyway customers moving to curbside, fewer trucks will be converted, limiting potential savings.
If the city moves forward with discontinuing alleyway trash pickup, residents should be told how much this change will save and if that will translate to lower costs. If we’re being asked to accept less convenient service in some areas, the city needs to make a clear case that the tradeoff is worth it.