Farmers Branch staff propose reopening resident-only collection station; outline household hazardous-waste costs

Farmers Branch City Council members heard a presentation from Shane Davis, deputy director of public works, on a plan to reopen a residents-only Citizens Collection Station at the city’s equipment service center and on the city’s household hazardous waste (HHW) program.

Davis said staff submitted the required notification to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to open a collection station and that the city previously submitted a closure request for the former site. He told the council the prior site’s closure process began in September and that the agency recently sent a letter showing the site is closed in their records. The new operational plan described one Saturday opening per week, a requirement for a 90-day pre-notice to TCEQ, and several site modifications including fencing and reconfigured parking.

The nut of the proposal is that the proposed location uses the city’s equipment service center parking area and would be staffed for a single-day operation. “The operational plan we submitted is for 1 day, Saturday only,” Davis said. He described operational constraints: roll-off containers are tall and the site has no ramp, so residents must walk items into containers; the city would need to install fencing on the north and east sides of the lot; and staff parking will be reduced while the area is in use.

Davis said the collection station is intended for residential use only; commercial vehicles or vehicles displaying commercial markings would be turned away. Staff also said the station would not accept liquid hazardous wastes such as open paint cans, used motor oil or tires. Dallas County currently operates HHW services for Farmers Branch under an annual agreement, and the county handles TCEQ permitting for the HHW operations.

On budgeting, Davis told the council the city’s 2025 HHW budget includes $21,000 for residents to use Dallas County drop-off services during regular operations and an event budget that budgets up to $22,000 to cover maximum event capacity. Setup for a single HHW event is approximately $1,500. The city’s public works overtime budget is $35,000 for the year; Davis said overtime for collection-station staffing would be drawn from that pool this year and adjusted in the next budget if the council agrees to a permanent reopening. He said larger, recurring operating costs at the prior site included roughly $1,000 per month to pump a septic holding tank and routine wear-and-tear on roll-off containers; earlier council discussion had placed prior Citizens Collection Center annual costs in the range of $80,000–$90,000 when it operated multiple days per week.

Davis said typical attendance at the city’s annual HHW event has been about 100–150 residents over a six-hour event. Monthly drop-off usage varies and was described as “10–30 people” in a typical month depending on season. He said participation at annual events has trended down over time, which staff interpreted as residents having already decluttered older stored materials.

Council members asked about timeline, whether residents could bring compostable food waste, how staff would prevent commercial dumping, vehicle and trailer access, and safety for residents carrying items to tall containers. Davis estimated that, if approved and barring unforeseen issues, the site could open in April after TCEQ approval and installation of required fencing. He said staff would track vehicle license plates, addresses and materials types as part of routine site monitoring and that electronics recycling is handled by a vendor (United Electronic Recyclers) and is available at a separate location.

No ordinance or formal council vote was taken on the reopening during the discussion; council members asked staff to continue planning and to return with implementation details and timetable. Further action would be required for permanent budget adjustments or formal reopening approval.

Ending: Council members expressed support for reopening a smaller-scale station, asked staff to resolve parking and safety details, and directed staff to return with a timeline and any required budget adjustments before council approval of a permanent operational change.