The City of Dallas has shelved its plan to phase out alleyway trash and recycling pickup after a group of Preston Hollow residents mounted a grassroots campaign to keep their bins out back and out of sight.
The rationale behind a plan to begin transitioning 95,000 households to curbside collection in January included safety concerns for sanitation workers, aging alley infrastructure, and rising operational costs.
Sanitation Services Director Clifton Gillespie laid out the city’s case: About 60% of Dallas already receives curbside pickup, and maintaining alley service citywide would require 300 additional workers and 100 new trucks, and cost an estimated $70–$81 per household each month — none of which is accounted for in the proposed 2025-26 budget.
Homeowners in alley-dependent neighborhoods, including many in Preston Hollow, made themselves heard with a 10,000-signature petition, protest yard signs, and a dedicated opposition website.
At a Sept. 10 city council meeting, open mic public comments included concerns that the proposed shift would reduce property values, create accessibility issues for seniors and people with disabilities, pose new pedestrian safety concerns, and wreak havoc on landscaping.
Two council members, District 13’s Gay Donnell Willis and District 9’s Paula Blackmon, proposed a compromise that would allow residents to keep alley pickup through a tiered plan with higher rates for alley holdouts and a discounted rate for those who go curbside.
On Oct. 1, City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert announced a hold on the sanitation rollout.
“We hear you, and change is hard,” she said, adding that she’s asked the sanitation director to “reconsider, review, and reevaluate all feasible options,” floating the possibility of private trash companies picking up where the city might bow out — though likely at a higher cost.
Soon, the Sanitation Department will launch a citywide survey to gauge resident interest in alternative service models, said Tolbert.
If most residents shrug, the city will resume its “Hybrid Approach” as briefed to the council in June 2025.
If alley loyalists are numerous, the council will get a full update before the city picks up (or drops) the plan again, she said.
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