Who collects Texas trash, and where is landfill space running out?

The city, the truck and the landfill can have different owners

Fort Worth bills residents for trash service. Waste Management collects it, and Republic Services operates the city-owned Southeast Landfill. Austin Resource Recovery uses city crews and delivers trash to Texas Disposal Systems’ Creedmoor site under the arrangement described in its plan. In those two cities, a public bill tells you who to pay. The contracts tell you who has to move and receive the waste. Fort Worth contract oversight · Fort Worth landfill operating agreement summary · Austin comprehensive plan

The same truck name can survive an acquisition. Frontier Waste Solutions serves McKinney and Pearland and joined GFL Environmental in April 2026. North Texas suburbs use a mix of municipal crews and contractors. A city contract identifies who serves that territory. It gives no reliable count of the households served by each collector across a whole metro. Dallas McCommas Bluff · San Antonio disposal ordinance 2024-05-02-0301 · GFL’s Frontier notice

A regional capacity number can hide a near-term problem

The Capital Area had 59.7 million ton-equivalents of remaining capacity at the end of fiscal 2024. At the 2024 disposal rate, that works out to 21.4 years. But TCEQ’s table carried estimates of six years for TDS Creedmoor and 2.5 years for Austin Community, measured from the same old baseline. Those two sites took 60% of the region’s reported tonnage in the category used here. An operator with a long remaining life elsewhere in the region only helps if the collector can use that site. TCEQ annual capacity report, regional facility tables

All modeled years start at the end of fiscal 2024. The flat scenario divides reported capacity by annual disposal. The growth scenario increases disposal by 2% each year after the first. The ton estimates depend on assumed density. At 130 Environmental Park, the change in reported density from 2023 to 2024 contributed to a 38% drop in estimated remaining tons while reported cubic yards fell by about 2%. Remaining space and the number of tons expected to fit can move very differently. TCEQ annual reports

What residents see on the bill

Fort Worth lists $30.90 a month before tax for a 96-gallon cart. San Antonio lists $31.50 for the same cart size, with solid-waste and parks fees bringing the taxable subtotal to $37. Austin’s adopted fiscal 2027 schedule lists $69.05 for the large cart and $10.60 in Clean Community fees, or $79.65 before any applicable tax. Houston’s $5 administrative charge and $1.29 container lease are direct charges on eligible accounts. Houston also finances service through public revenues. The amounts pay for different collections and services, and the bill alone does not show the cost of providing them. Fort Worth cart rates · San Antonio rates and fees · Austin FY2027 fee schedule, ordinance 20260812-006 · Houston administrative fee

How we got this

The review covers 21 service territories in 19 selected jurisdictions and 40 receiving landfills in the four TCEQ planning regions. Disposal tons include commercial waste and imported loads. The FY2024 report was the most recent comparable statewide report available at the November 10, 2026 cutoff. Operator groupings reflect the ownership check at that cutoff. The planning dates are city estimates or contract dates. To judge the next rate increase, look for the replacement contract and hauling distance. A large regional inventory offers little help if the truck cannot reach it on the city’s terms.