Trash & Recycling in Lubbock, TX (2026)
8 verified trash & recycling rules for Lubbock, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Lubbock Solid Waste provides weekly residential curbside trash collection using city-issued 95-gallon carts. Service is mandatory for single-family homes within city limits and billed on the monthly utility bill.
Trash Recycling: Pickup Rules
Light RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 365.012
Sec. 365.012. ILLEGAL DUMPING; DISCARDING LIGHTED MATERIALS; CRIMINAL PENALTIES. (a) A person commits an offense if the person disposes or allows or permits the disposal of litter or other solid waste at a place that is not an approved solid waste site, including a place on or within 300 feet of a public highway, on a right-of-way, on other public or private property, or into inland or coast...
Bin Placement Rules
Lubbock residents must place regulation garbage containers at the edge of the alley at the property line, or between the sidewalk and curb if there's no alley, under City Code Section 22.06.145. Containers themselves have to meet size and durability standards under Section 22.06.141, and cardboard boxes, oil drums, barrels, and pails are flatly banned as garbage receptacles under Section 22.06.142.
Lubbock Garbage Container Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsLubbock Code of Ordinances § 22.06.145
It shall be unlawful for any owner or occupant living in any dwelling place within the city, which is a private residence, to place or cause to be placed regulation garbage containers for collection purposes at a location other than at the edge of the alley at the property line. If no alley exists then the container(s) shall be placed at the front between the sidewalk and curb or in any place m...
Bulk Item Disposal
Lubbock offers on-call bulky item pickup for large items like furniture and appliances with scheduled collection. Residents may also self-haul to the city landfill. Construction debris is excluded from residential service.
Trash Recycling: Bulk Disposal
Light RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 365.012
Sec. 365.012. ... (e) An offense under Subsection (a), (b), or (c) is a Class B misdemeanor if the litter or other solid waste to which the offense applies weighs more than five pounds but less than 500 pounds or has a volume of more than five gallons but less than 100 cubic feet.(f) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor if:(1) the litter or other solid waste to which the of...
Recycling Requirements
Lubbock recycling is voluntary drop-off only. The city does not provide curbside recycling. Residents may take accepted materials to the Citizens Convenience Station or other drop-off centers. No mandatory recycling ordinance exists.
Trash Recycling: Recycling Requirements
Few RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Subch. H, Ch. 361 (Composting and Recycling Definitions)
Sec. 361.421. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:(1) "Compost" is the disinfected and stabilized product of the decomposition process that is used or sold for use as a soil amendment, artificial top soil, growing medium amendment, or other similar uses.(2) "Composting" means the controlled biological decomposition of organic materials through microbial activity. Depending on the specific applicati...
Illegal Dumping
Lubbock makes it unlawful to discard furniture, appliances, mattresses, carpet, brush, trees, or any nuisance material anywhere in the city except a state-permitted landfill. Code Enforcement investigates dumped items and cites those it can identify.
Lubbock Illegal Dumping Ban and Penalties (City Code)
Some RestrictionsLubbock Code of Ordinances sec. 34.02.033(d)
(d) Illegal dumping. It shall be unlawful for any person to discard, dump, or unload items such as furniture, appliances, mattresses, carpet or carpet padding, rubbish/brush, trees and limbs, or any other material which constitutes a nuisance at any place within the corporate limits of the city, except at a state-permitted or -approved landfill or at such other place as may be designated by the...
Yard Waste Collection
Lubbock requires trees and brush cut into lengths no longer than five feet, in bundles weighing no more than 80 pounds, set neatly in the alley for pickup under City Code Section 22.06.004. Leaving discarded limbs or bulky yard debris on the property, street, alley, or sidewalk beyond what a regulation container can hold is a separate offense under Section 22.06.005.
Lubbock Brush and Yard Waste Removal Rules
Some RestrictionsLubbock Code of Ordinances § 22.06.004
All trees to be removed from premises shall be trimmed free of branches, cut in lengths not to exceed five (5) feet, and the weights of such lengths shall not exceed eighty (80) pounds. All brush, trees and tree limbs when prepared in accordance with this article shall be placed in the alley, adjacent to the property, in a neat and orderly manner so as to not obstruct vehicular use of the alley.
Dumpster Rules
Lubbock requires dumpsters, donation bins, and recycling containers on nonresidential and mixed-use property to sit on a paved concrete or asphalt surface, be reachable by a collection truck without blocking the street, and be screened with a solid enclosure whenever visible from a front yard or the street.
Lubbock Commercial Dumpster Placement and Screening
Some RestrictionsLubbock Unified Development Code § 39.02.020(d)(4)
4. Donation bin/recycling collection, drop-off. A. Generally. Donation bins, community recycling bins, and dumpster bins may be provided for permitted apartments, nonresidential uses, and mixed uses for solid waste or other appropriate collection services. B. Screening. Containers that are located in a front yard to meet the requirements of the refuse service provider or that are visible from t...
Collection Schedule
Lubbock's solid waste manager can adjust weekly pickup counts and timing for weather and seasonal conditions, but City Code Section 22.06.189 sets a floor: no less than once a week from October through February and no less than twice a week from March through September. Residential service runs $20.50 a month effective October 1, 2025, billed on the water bill under Section 22.06.185.
Lubbock Residential Solid Waste Collection Frequency
Some RestrictionsLubbock Code of Ordinances § 22.06.189
The manager of the city solid waste department shall be authorized to make changes in the number of weekly container pickups and the days and times of container pickups to fit weather, seasonal and usage conditions as required by such circumstances. However, the pickups shall not be less frequent than once a week between October 1 and February 28 and not less frequent than twice a week between ...
Looking for Lubbock County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Lubbock city rules.
Trash & Recycling in Lubbock County →