How Amarillo Handles Trash & Recycling: A Practical Guide

Amarillo maintains 125 local ordinances across all categories, and 7 of those deal specifically with trash & recycling. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Amarillo falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Bulk Item Disposal

Amarillo provides free residential bulk-item pickup on request under Chapter 8-3. Standard residential garbage collection runs twice per week. Residents may schedule bulky items, furniture, appliances, large debris, at no extra charge through the Solid Waste Division.

Key details: Bulk pickup cost: Free on request. Standard collection: Twice per week residential. Governing code: Ch. 8-3, Art. II. Excluded items: Hazardous waste, tires, e-waste.

Placing non-compliant materials curbside for bulk pickup, or setting out garbage outside the designated schedule, may result in a notice of violation and a fine. Repeat violations under Ch. 8-3 may result in fines of up to $500 per day.

Amarillo is more permissive than most cities when it comes to bulk item disposal. That said, there are still limits.

Dumpster Rules

Commercial dumpsters, roll-off boxes, and compactor containers in Amarillo require a Commercial Collection Service permit, and the hauler that services them pays the City an annual fee equal to 5% of gross revenue under Sec. 8-3-72(a). No permit holder may set a mechanically-handled container on public property or right-of-way without Superintendent approval under Sec. 8-3-64(b), and alley-service households get a 3-cubic-yard City container under Sec. 8-3-33(g).

Key details: Permit fee: 5% of gross revenue, billed quarterly. Late interest: 12% per year on overdue fees. Late penalty cap: 25% of delinquent fees. Vehicle decal fee: $50 per vehicle annually. Alley container size: 3 cubic yards.

Servicing a commercial dumpster or roll-off container in Amarillo without the Sec. 8-3-47 Commercial Collection Permit, or placing a mechanically-handled container on public property or right-of-way without Superintendent approval under Sec. 8-3-64(b), is a violation the Superintendent can act on, including revoking the permit under Sec. 8-3-62. Unpaid permit fees accrue 12 percent annual interest plus a 5 percent monthly late penalty capped at 25 percent under Sec. 8-3-72(c)-(d).

Illegal Dumping

Dumping garbage or trash on Amarillo streets, alleys, private property, or in an unauthorized City container is a civil and criminal offense under Sec. 8-3-3. Civil penalties start at $50 for a first violation, $150 for a second, and $250 for a third or later violation under Sec. 1-1-5(e)(3)(a), capped at $350 if a hearing officer or judge sets the fine.

Key details: First civil violation: $50 penalty. Second civil violation: $150 penalty. Third+ civil violation: $250 penalty, capped at $350. Criminal maximum fine: $2,000 for dumping of refuse. Response deadline: 30 days to pay or request hearing.

Illegal dumping is punished as a civil nuisance with escalating fines of $50, $150, then $250 per violation, capped at $350, under Sec. 1-1-5(e), or as a straight criminal offense reaching a $2,000 maximum fine under Sec. 1-1-5(b), plus civil cost recovery for the City's cleanup and disposal expenses under Sec. 8-3-9. A notice of violation must be answered or contested within 30 days.

Bin Placement Rules

Amarillo requires bagged trash and Refuse Storage Carts to sit within three feet of the curbline, placed no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the evening before pickup and no later than 7:00 a.m. on collection day under Sec. 8-3-30 and Sec. 8-3-33(d). Carts must clear 5 feet from horizontal obstructions and 12 feet from vertical ones, and come off the curb by 11:59 p.m. that night.

Key details: Earliest set-out time: 5:00 p.m. day before collection. Latest set-out time: 7:00 a.m. on collection day. Cart removal deadline: 11:59 p.m. on collection day. Horizontal clearance: At least 5 feet. Vertical clearance: At least 12 feet.

Setting bagged trash or a Refuse Storage Cart out before 5:00 p.m. the day before collection, leaving it past 7:00 a.m. or past 11:59 p.m. on the wrong side of those windows, or placing a cart closer than 5 feet from a horizontal obstruction or 12 feet from a vertical one violates Sec. 8-3-30 and Sec. 8-3-33(d), enforced by the Solid Waste Division and code enforcement under Chapter 8-3's civil and criminal violation provisions.

Yard Waste Collection

Amarillo residents cannot bag ordinary tree, hedge, shrub, or yard trimmings for automatic pickup: Sec. 8-3-31(4) requires piling them at the front curb and calling the Solid Waste Division to schedule a special pickup. A tree-trimming business handling the job is separately on the hook for disposal under Sec. 8-3-79, and improper dumping of the cuttings is punishable as littering.

Key details: Trimmings pickup: Call Solid Waste Division to schedule. Placement: Piled at front curb, not bagged. Grass/leaves rule: Must be bagged, unlike branches. Tree service liability: Business disposes at its own expense. Improper disposal: Treated as littering under Sec. 8-3-79.

Setting out yard trimmings without calling the Solid Waste Division to schedule a pickup, or a tree-trimming business dumping cuttings anywhere but an authorized disposal site, is littering under Sec. 8-3-79, chargeable as a civil health nuisance or criminal offense under Sec. 8-3-8, with the vehicle owner presumed liable under Sec. 8-3-6 when the operator can't be identified, plus City cost recovery for cleanup under Sec. 8-3-9.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Amarillo collects residential cart trash twice a week under the Curbside Cart Collection Program, starting at 7 a.m. Confirm your days with Solid Waste at 806-378-6813; holiday weeks slide routes to a later day.

Key details: Collection frequency: Trash twice weekly. Find your day: Call Solid Waste, 806-378-6813. Holiday shift: Routes slide to later day. Bulk pickup: Free, within 1-3 business days. Set-out time: By 7 a.m. collection day.

Carts must be at the curb by 7 a.m. on your collection day and stored properly between pickups. No specific monetary penalty amount is published; see City Code Chapter 8-3 for container rules.

The rules around pickup rules & schedules in Amarillo lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Recycling Requirements

Amarillo offers voluntary curbside recycling through Chapter 8-3, §8-3-92 and private haulers. There is no mandatory recycling ordinance. Residents may use city-affiliated or private services such as Republic Services and KB Recycling for single-stream curbside pickup.

Key details: Mandatory recycling: No: voluntary participation. Accepted materials: Paper, cardboard, plastics, glass, metals. E-waste: Drop-off only; not in curbside bins. Hauler: Republic Services or KB Recycling.

Placing prohibited materials (e.g., e-waste, hazardous waste) in curbside recycling carts may result in fines under Ch. 8-3, up to $500 per occurrence.

The rules around recycling requirements in Amarillo lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Amarillo gives residents more room on trash & recycling. 3 of the 7 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

These rules come from Amarillo's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.