Trash & Recycling in Midland, TX: What Residents Actually Need to Know

If you live in Midland or are thinking about moving there, trash & recycling are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Midland has 8 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of trash & recycling, and some of them might surprise you.

Dumpster Rules

Midland's zoning code requires nonresidential and multifamily dumpsters to be screened on three sides by an eight-foot masonry wall and placed behind the building line, not in required landscaping.

Key details: Wall height: 1 ft above container, max 8 ft. Screening sides: Screened on three sides. Wall material: Masonry wall required. Location rule: Behind building line, outside landscaping. Applies to: Nonresidential and multifamily development.

Placing or leaving a commercial dumpster unscreened, in a required landscaped area, or in front of the building line violates the zoning site plan standards enforced by the City's development services department.

Yard Waste Collection

Midland requires the commercial yard crews, nurseries and lawn services that generate grass clippings, tree trimmings and dirt from renovating a lawn to haul that waste to the sanitary landfill or an approved mulching site themselves, under City Code § 8-6-4. Overloading a City refuse container with yard waste adds a $50.00 charge under § 8-6-5.

Key details: Who must haul off-site: Commercial yardmen, nurserymen, lawn services. Disposal point: Sanitary landfill or approved mulching site. Overload charge: $50.00 per container for yard waste. Container weight cap: 1,600 lbs per 3-cubic-yard container. Household yard trimmings: Collected as routine trash, twice weekly.

Overloading a refuse container with yard waste triggers the $50.00 per-container surcharge under § 8-6-5 rather than a criminal fine. A commercial yard service that dumps job-site waste in a residential container instead of hauling it to the landfill under § 8-6-4 is billed for the resulting overload charge and remains responsible for its own disposal costs under § 8-6-8(D).

Collection Schedule

Midland picks up residential garbage, trash and waste twice a week under City Code § 8-6-7, with additional on-request pickups billed at $20.00 each. Every residential utility account pays a $15.50 monthly minimum solid waste fee under § 8-6-8(A), plus a $0.25 fuel surcharge and $0.50 recycling surcharge, and the City can cut off water service for nonpayment.

Key details: Pickup frequency: Twice weekly, Mon/Thu or Tue/Fri. Minimum monthly fee: $15.50 residential solid waste fee. Extra pickup fee: $20.00 per additional requested pickup. Monthly surcharges: $0.25 fuel plus $0.50 recycling. Outside city limits: 1.5x standard rate, superintendent's discretion.

Falling behind on the monthly bill lets the City Manager order water service and garbage collection cut off until every delinquent charge is paid, plus a reconnection fee under § 3-1-5 (§ 8-6-13). Knowingly dumping trash in a City-furnished container without paying the assessed fee is a separate violation under § 8-6-8(C), and removing recyclables or trash from someone else's container without authorization violates § 8-6-8(F).

Recycling Requirements

Texas Health & Safety Code § 361.421 defines what legally counts as 'recyclable material,' 'recycling' and 'yard waste' for state waste-reduction programs. Midland does not require residents to sort or set out recyclables; instead every residential utility account pays a mandatory $0.50 monthly recycling surcharge under City Code § 8-6-8(H), which funds the City's own recycling and education programs.

Key details: State recycling definitions: Tex. Health & Safety Code § 361.421. Mandatory recycling surcharge: $0.50 per month per residential account. Surcharge uses: Recycling, capital equipment, education programs. Curbside recycling mandate: None; participation is not required. Fund administrator: City Manager, with City Council approval.

The recycling surcharge is billed as part of the same monthly solid waste charge covered by § 8-6-8, so nonpayment carries the same consequence as any other unpaid solid waste bill: the City Manager can order water and garbage service disconnected under § 8-6-13 until the account is brought current, plus a reconnection fee under § 3-1-5. There is no separate penalty for declining to recycle, because recycling participation itself is not mandated.

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

Bulk Item Disposal

Dumping brick, lumber, dead trees or other bulky waste anywhere other than an approved disposal site is a crime under Texas Health & Safety Code § 365.012, tiered from a Class C misdemeanor up to a state jail felony by weight and volume. Locally, Midland Code § 8-6-15 requires owners to haul off heavy accumulations themselves, and charges $100.00 per truckload if the City's solid waste division has to remove the pile.

Key details: Governing state law: Tex. Health & Safety Code § 365.012. Smallest penalty tier: Class C misdemeanor, up to $500 fine. Largest penalty tier: State jail felony, 1,000+ lbs. Local heavy-accumulation duty: Owner disposes at own expense. City pickup charge: $100.00 per truckload.

Penalties climb with the size of the dump: a Class C misdemeanor (fine up to $500) for five pounds or five gallons or less, up to a state jail felony for 1,000 pounds, 200 cubic feet, or anything dumped commercially for 200 pounds or more or sealed in a barrel or drum (§ 365.012(d)-(g)). A prior conviction under this section raises the next offense to the next-highest category, and courts must additionally order community service on conviction.

This is one of the stricter rules in Midland's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Midland collects household garbage twice a week (Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday) from alley carts. Call Solid Waste at 432-685-7278 to confirm your days. When a holiday hits, collection shifts one day later that week.

Key details: Collection frequency: Garbage twice weekly. Find your day: Call Solid Waste 432-685-7278. Holiday shift: One day later that week. Bulk pickup: Free furniture/appliance, by call. Recycling: Drop-off stations, not curbside.

Carts must be placed in the alley within the city right-of-way, not on private property; the city will not enter private property to collect. Bulky furniture and appliances require an appointment before set-out.

Midland is more permissive than most cities when it comes to pickup rules & schedules. That said, there are still limits.

Bin Placement Rules

Midland requires apartment complexes to provide at least three cubic yards of refuse container space per 15 units, and bans letting trash pile up above the container's lip.

Key details: Minimum container space: 3 cu yd per 15 units. Overflow rule: Nothing above the container lip. City response window: 24 hours after notice. Owner protest window: 5 days.

Violation triggers a written notice; if unresolved within 24 hours, the City can place additional refuse containers on the property and begin billing at normal commercial collection rates once the protest/appeal process concludes.

Illegal Dumping

Midland bans dumping hazardous, radioactive or noxious material anywhere in the city; each day the material stays is treated as a separate misdemeanor punishable by up to $2,000.

Key details: Max fine: $2,000 per offense. Continuing violation: Each day = separate offense. Covers: Hazardous, radioactive, noxious waste. Stacking: State/federal sanctions can also apply.

Misdemeanor, fine up to $2,000; each day the prohibited material remains dumped counts as its own separate offense, so penalties compound daily.

Compared to other cities, Midland takes a harder line on illegal dumping. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

The Bottom Line

Midland's trash & recycling rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Midland is broadly strict or permissive.

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