Kimberly Tolbert, Dallas’ Interim City Manager, has paused the Sanitation Department’s plans to move all residential trash pickup to the curb.
Tolbert postponed implementing the plan until there is more community engagement about the changes, with the exception of alleys that have been flagged by the Sanitation Department as having significant impediments or hazards for waste management trucks and personnel.
The plan was initially proposed by Dallas’ Sanitation Director Clifton Gillespie as a more cost-effective way for the city to perform trash pickup. The city hoped that larger trucks making fewer trips and using less personnel would improve efficiency and costs. Sanitation Department officials purported curbside pickup would offer a safer work environment for sanitation employees who ride on the back of garbage trucks, since many Dallas alleys are rutted and years out from repair efforts.
Neighbors opposed to the change pointed out that moving trash from the back to the front of the house could prove cumbersome, especially for older residents, and expressed concern about the eyesore presented by front lawn bulk trash.
Any developments to the plan and its implementation will be on hold until late 2025.
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