Plano dump & transfer station drop-off

Q: What's the difference between a landfill and a dump?

In everyday use people say "the dump," but a modern landfill is an engineered, permitted site with liners and monitoring. A transfer station is a smaller site where waste is collected and hauled to a landfill. Both take household junk; a transfer or collection station is often closer and quicker for small loads.

Plano has no city landfill of its own. Instead residents use the North Texas Municipal Water District's transfer stations, and you get two free drop-offs every monthly billing cycle as part of your Environmental Waste Services account. After that you're charged at check-in — $80 a ton with a one-ton minimum — so the free visits are worth planning around. Here's how it works and what to bring.

Your two free monthly drop-offs

Plano Environmental Waste Services (EWS) residential customers get TWO FREE drop-offs per month at NTMWD transfer stations.
Bring a valid driver's license AND a current Plano utility bill showing solid waste services. Both are required.
Beyond the two free visits you're charged at check-in: $80 a ton with a one-ton minimum, plus sales tax, cards only. That minimum means even a small third trip costs at least $80 — worth waiting for your next billing cycle if you can.
Hours at both stations: Monday–Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed Sunday.
Three stations take Plano residents: Custer Road (9901 Custer Rd), Parkway (4030 W Plano Pkwy, behind the Animal Shelter) and Lookout (1601 E Lookout Dr, Richardson).
Separately, the City collects bulky waste from the curb once a month on your assigned day. Piles bigger than 6 × 4 × 4 ft, and anything with Freon, need a paid Special Paid collection.
Questions: City of Plano Customer Service, (972) 769-4150.

Disposal sites in Plano

Custer Road Transfer Station

Transfer Station

North Texas Municipal Water District

9901 Custer Rd, Plano, TX 75025 — entrance on Ridgeview Drive, south of SH 121 Directions

📞 (972) 727-6341

Hours
Mon–Sat	8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sunday	Closed

Fees

Two free drop-offs per monthly utility billing cycle for Plano Environmental Waste Services customers
Bring your most recent City of Plano utility bill showing garbage service and a current Texas driver's license, both at the same address
Free loads must come in a car or pickup (trailers fine if the load is under 8 ft). Dump trailers, stake-bed trucks and box trucks pay
Extra visits and remodeling debris: $80 a ton, one-ton minimum, plus sales tax; loads with roofing shingles add a $150 surcharge — cards only

Free program takes: Furniture, mattresses, grills (no propane tanks), lawn furniture, drained mowers, bicycles and other household items up to 8 ft; brush and untreated wood (the only district site that takes them)

Won't take free: Remodeling debris (pay the gate rate), fence panels, soil, brick or concrete. Household chemicals are never accepted — book a household chemical collection through Customer Service

Metal appliances are not accepted here — take a washer or water heater to Parkway or Lookout instead.

Custer Road Transfer Station: full page →

Spot a wrong hour or fee? Tell us

Parkway Transfer Station

Transfer Station

North Texas Municipal Water District

4030 W Plano Pkwy, Plano, TX 75093 — behind the Animal Shelter Directions

📞 (972) 596-8709

Hours
Mon–Sat	8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sunday	Closed

Fees

Two free drop-offs per monthly utility billing cycle for Plano Environmental Waste Services customers
Bring your most recent City of Plano utility bill showing garbage service and a current Texas driver's license, both at the same address
Free loads must come in a car or pickup (trailers fine if the load is under 8 ft). Dump trailers, stake-bed trucks and box trucks pay
Extra visits and remodeling debris: $80 a ton, one-ton minimum, plus sales tax; loads with roofing shingles add a $150 surcharge — cards only

Free program takes: Furniture, mattresses, grills (no propane tanks), lawn furniture, drained mowers, bicycles and other household items up to 8 ft; metal appliances for recycling

Under construction until about October 2026. While the work lasts, the district says Parkway only takes household trash from residents of its member cities — Plano included. Anything else goes to Custer Road or Lookout.

Spot a wrong hour or fee? Tell us

Lookout Transfer Station

Transfer Station

North Texas Municipal Water District

1601 E Lookout Dr, Richardson, TX 75082 Directions

📞 (972) 234-3247

Hours
Mon–Sat	8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sunday	Closed

Fees

Two free drop-offs per monthly utility billing cycle for Plano Environmental Waste Services customers
Bring your most recent City of Plano utility bill showing garbage service and a current Texas driver's license, both at the same address
Free loads must come in a car or pickup (trailers fine if the load is under 8 ft). Dump trailers, stake-bed trucks and box trucks pay
Extra visits and remodeling debris: $80 a ton, one-ton minimum, plus sales tax; loads with roofing shingles add a $150 surcharge — cards only

Free program takes: Furniture, mattresses, grills (no propane tanks), lawn furniture, drained mowers, bicycles and other household items up to 8 ft; metal appliances for recycling

In Richardson, but on the City of Plano's own list of drop-off sites for Plano residents — and your two free visits count here too.

Spot a wrong hour or fee? Tell us

City of Plano services

Bulky waste curbside collection

City Service

📞 (972) 769-4150

Plano collects bulky items too large for your cart — furniture, mattresses, stoves, washers, dryers, water heaters, carpet cut into sections under 50 lbs — from the curb once a month on your assigned day, in piles no bigger than 6 × 4 × 4 ft; find your day on the City's interactive collection map. Refrigerators, freezers and A/C units, and piles too big for the regular pickup, need a Special Paid Collection: $10 a cubic yard with a $20 minimum, plus a $25 fee on anything holding Freon, billed to your utility account. Book it through Customer Service on (972) 769-4150.

Spot a wrong hour or fee? Tell us

Do the math on visit three

City Service

The one-ton minimum on paid visits is the thing to plan around. Two free drop-offs per billing cycle is generous, but a third trip in the same cycle costs at least $80 regardless of how little you bring. If your cleanout can be split across a billing cycle, split it — or put the overflow out as a Special Paid curbside collection, where the minimum is $20.

Spot a wrong hour or fee? Tell us

See every disposal site nearby: Landfills & dumps in Collin County →

Getting rid of something specific in Plano?

Common questions

Does it cost anything to dump at a landfill?

Usually yes. Most Texas landfills charge by weight (a per-ton gate rate) or by the load, and many cities give residents a discount or a set number of free drop-offs if you can show a current utility bill. Small transfer and collection stations sometimes take household trash for free. Exact fees are listed per facility above.

What's the difference between a landfill and a dump?

In everyday use people say "the dump," but a modern landfill is an engineered, permitted site with liners and monitoring. A transfer station is a smaller site where waste is collected and hauled to a landfill. Both take household junk; a transfer or collection station is often closer and quicker for small loads.

What's the cheapest way to get rid of junk for free?

Check whether your city offers free bulk-trash pickup on a set week, use county household-hazardous-waste and cleanup events, and give away usable items. For a landfill drop-off, bring proof of residency to get resident rates. If it's more than you can move yourself, a junk-removal quote is often cheaper than multiple trips plus gate fees.

How do I get rid of large or heavy items?

Bulky items — furniture, appliances, mattresses, construction debris — either go to the landfill (often for an extra per-item fee) or get hauled by a junk-removal service. If you'd rather not rent a truck and pay gate fees, check an upfront junk-removal price.

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