Dumps, Landfills & Recycling in Temple, Texas

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.

Temple residents get one free landfill trip a month for a pickup load of household cleanup, if you bring a water bill showing the City garbage rate. Everyone else pays a $58.24 minimum. Before you drive out, check whether curbside pickup can take it instead: the City collects up to 6 cubic yards of brush and 6 of bulky items a month for free, if you schedule it. Here's how both work, and what the free trip doesn't cover.

Before you drive to the Temple landfill

One free dump a month for Temple residents with a pickup load or less of general household cleanup. Bring your current water utility bill showing your residential garbage rate, plus ID.
The free trip doesn't cover mattresses, remodeling, demolition, building or roofing materials, or anything bigger than a pickup load.
Non-residents: $58.24 minimum per load, plus a $0.94 state fee.
Payment: check or card only (Visa, Mastercard, Discover). No cash.
Wear a safety vest. It's required at the landfill. Bring your own or buy one at the scale house.
Tarp your load. Loads must be fully covered or a fee is charged.
Brush doesn't need to go to the landfill. The City takes brush year-round at its Solid Waste Complex. Call (254) 298-5000 for directions and hours.

Curbside brush and bulky pickup, by request

Residential customers get 1 brush pickup and 1 bulky-item pickup every month, up to 6 cubic yards each (about a full-size pickup bed), at no extra cost.
You must schedule it: call (254) 298-5000 (weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or go to ttxconnect.com. Cancel at least a week ahead to keep that month's credit.
Over 6 and up to 12 cubic yards: a $65 fee on your utility bill. Over 12 cubic yards isn't collected, so request a roll-off.
Set piles out by 7 a.m. on the Monday of your collection week, within 3 feet of the curb, with brush and bulky items in separate piles. Mixed piles are left behind.
Not collected: construction, remodeling or demolition debris, rocks or dirt, hazardous materials, refrigerators or appliances, and glass (including mirrors and TVs).
Brush collected at the curb goes to the Temple-Belton Wastewater Treatment Plant for compost and mulch.

Disposal sites in Temple

Temple Landfill

Municipal Landfill (Type 1)

Operated by WM under a lease with the City of Temple

706 Landfill Road, Temple, TX 76501 (end of East Avenue H, east side of Loop 363) Directions

📞 (254) 298-5000

Hours
Mar 8 – Oct 31, Mon–Fri	7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Mar 8 – Oct 31, Sat	7:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Nov 1 – Mar 14, Mon–Fri	7:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Nov 1 – Mar 14, Sat	7:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Sunday	Closed

Fees

Temple residents: 1 FREE dump per month, pickup load or less of household cleanup (water bill with garbage rate + ID)
Non-Temple residents: $58.24 minimum + $0.94 state fee
Uncovered loads: fee charged
Check or card only (Visa, Mastercard, Discover)

Accepts: Household waste, Bulky items, Construction & demolition debris (paid)

Not on the free trip: Mattresses, Remodeling, demolition, building or roofing materials, Loads over a pickup

The phone is the City of Temple's customer-care line. The landfill takes about 1,650 tons a day from across the 7-county Central Texas region.

Spot a wrong hour or fee? Tell us

Getting rid of something specific in Temple?

Common questions

Can Temple residents dump for free?

Once a month. Temple residents can take a pickup load or less of general household cleanup to the Temple Landfill, 706 Landfill Road, free once per month. Bring your current water bill showing your residential garbage rate and ID. The free trip doesn't cover mattresses or remodeling, demolition or roofing materials. The City also picks up 6 cubic yards of brush and 6 of bulky items a month at the curb when you schedule it at (254) 298-5000.

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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