Dumps, Landfills & Recycling in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio catches a lot of people out: the city's four drop-off centers are for BULKY waste only — furniture, appliances, brush, a little construction debris — and they will not take bags of household trash. The upside is they're free if you're a residential customer who pays the city environmental fee, and there's one on roughly every side of town. Below are all four locations with hours and the size limits that get loads turned away, plus the Nelson Gardens brush center.
San Antonio's free bulky drop-off — the rules that matter
Free for residential customers who pay the City's environmental fee — but you must prove it.
Bring BOTH a recent CPS Energy bill showing the Environmental Fee AND a matching photo ID. No bill, no free drop-off.
Residential customers only — materials from commercial waste haulers are not accepted at all.
NO household trash. These are bulky-waste centers, not a dump for your regular garbage bags.
Bulky items are limited to four (4) cubic yards per visit.
Construction debris is limited to one (1) cubic yard per visit — much tighter than the bulky limit.
Load height rule: material in a truck bed must not be stacked above the fender wheel. Overloaded trucks get turned away.
Open Tuesday through Saturday only — closed Sunday, Monday, and city holidays. Saturday closes early at noon.
Heads-up on the Bitters center: the entrance is off Wurzbach Parkway, reached from Jones Maltsberger — people regularly can't find it from the old approach.
Disposal sites in San Antonio
Bitters Bulky Waste Collection Center
Bulky Waste Drop-Off
City of San Antonio Solid Waste Management
1800 Wurzbach Parkway, San Antonio, TX 78216 Directions ↗
Free for residential customers paying the city environmental fee (CPS Energy bill + photo ID required)
Accepts: Bulky items (up to 4 cu yd), Construction debris (up to 1 cu yd), Furniture, Appliances, Brush
Won't take: Household trash, Commercial hauler loads, Loads stacked above the truck bed fender
The entrance is off the new Wurzbach Parkway — access it from Jones Maltsberger and Wurzbach Parkway. This trips up returning customers who remember the old entrance.
Frio City Road Bulky Waste Collection Center
Bulky Waste Drop-Off
City of San Antonio Solid Waste Management
1531 Frio City Road, San Antonio, TX 78226 Directions ↗
Free for residential customers paying the city environmental fee (CPS Energy bill + photo ID required)
Accepts: Bulky items (up to 4 cu yd), Construction debris (up to 1 cu yd), Furniture, Appliances, Brush
Won't take: Household trash, Commercial hauler loads, Loads stacked above the truck bed fender
Serves the east and southeast side.
Nelson Gardens Brush Recycling Center
Brush & Compost Facility
Atlas Organics (formerly City of San Antonio)
8963 Nelson Rd, San Antonio, TX 78252 Directions ↗
Hours
Mon–Sat
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday
Closed
Fees
Residential rate applies with a CPS Energy bill and matching photo ID — bring both
Rates differ from the free bulky centers; call to confirm current pricing
Accepts: Brush, Tree limbs, Yard waste, Clean wood
Won't take: Household trash, Construction debris
Now managed and operated by Atlas Organics rather than the city directly — this is the place for large brush and tree-limb loads, and it's open Monday (unlike the bulky centers). Confirm current rates before hauling.
For most San Antonio residents, dropping off household bulky waste is free. If
you pay the city's environmental fee — the line item on your CPS Energy bill — you
can use the city Bulky Waste Collection Centers (Bitters, Frio City Road, Culebra, and Rigsby Road)
at no charge. Bring a photo ID and proof the environmental fee is on your account.
There are limits per visit, so a very large load may take more than one trip.
Where fees do apply in San Antonio:
Non-residents & commercial loads can't use the free resident centers —
waste goes to a private landfill such as Tessman Road Landfill or
Covel Gardens, charged by weight at the posted per-ton gate rate.
Construction & demolition debris isn't accepted at the resident bulky
centers; it's billed by weight at a C&D or private landfill.
Extra or oversized loads beyond the per-visit resident limit may need a
private landfill and a gate fee.
Fees and limits change — call 311 or the facility before a big load. If it's more
than you want to haul yourself, a junk-removal quote can beat multiple trips plus gate fees.
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, get a quick quote and compare.