Changes to become effective August 21
TEMPLE, TX (August 21, 2025) — UPDATE: The Temple City Council has approved an update to Chapter 15 of the City’s Code of Ordinances, officially transitioning brush and bulky item collection from a quarterly call-to-schedule system to a monthly call-to-schedule system.
The change comes in response to resident feedback and follows the city’s ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency, predictability, and reliability of solid waste services. Under the new system, residents will be able to schedule one brush and one bulky item pickup per month.
The city initially moved away from its twice-monthly collection routes after crews were frequently traveling entire routes with few or no pickups, leading to wasted resources and unnecessary fuel use. The call-in model allows city crews to plan more targeted, efficient routes based on actual service requests.
This approach will:
- Reduce long-term operational costs
- Increase recycling of large appliances and improve waste separation
- Keep brush out of landfills and within the recycling stream
- Lower maintenance costs by keeping equipment within target operating limits
- Reduce the visual clutter of curbside piles by shortening their duration
- Encourage greater recycling participation
- Make collection more manageable and sustainable for crews
By adopting this system, Temple can better allocate resources while ensuring residents continue to receive consistent, responsive service.
As a reminder, brush refuse and bulky item collection services remain included at no additional cost to Temple residents. The $22.50 solid waste fee is for weekly residential garbage service. Recycling, brush, and bulky item services are included in that cost and remain available to all single-family homes.
The city appreciates the feedback received from the community and remains committed to building long-term, practical solutions that meet the evolving needs of the growing Temple community.
Collection requests can be made by contacting the Customer Care Department at 254.298.5000.
City of Temple Transitions Brush Refuse Collection and Bulky Item Collection to Monthly Call-In System
Changes to become effective July 18
TEMPLE, TX (July 17, 2025) — UPDATE: In response to ongoing service challenges, the Temple City Council has approved a resolution authorizing an update to the Code of Ordinances, Chapter 15 to improve the efficiency of brush refuse collection and bulky item collection services. Beginning July 18, residential brush refuse collection and bulky item collection will transition from a twice-monthly static schedule system to quarterly on-demand services.
Under the new system, residents may request the collection of up to 12 cubic yards of brush refuse once per calendar quarter and up to 12 cubic yards of bulky items once per calendar quarter. For each service, six of the 12 cubic yards will be collected at no additional cost as part of the monthly utility fee.
This change addresses several service challenges, including:
- Inefficient collection caused by frequent small piles of brush
- Bulky item piles containing small trash that belongs in standard garbage bins
- Ineligible materials such as construction, remodeling, and demolition debris appearing in brush refuse piles and in bulky item piles
- Difficulty in planning for unscreened static scheduled collections with unpredictable demand
By switching to a request-based system, City crews will be better equipped to plan efficient routes, screen for proper materials, and ensure services are used as intended. Piles placed without a service request or those that contain mixed or ineligible materials will not be collected and may be deemed public nuisances.
Brush refuse piles and piles of bulky items must continue to follow the placement and clearance guidelines outlined in the updated ordinance to be eligible for pickup.
Collection requests can be made by contacting the Customer Care Department at 254.298.5000.
City of Temple to Launch Citywide Brush and Bulk Cleanup Effort
Collections to begin July 9
TEMPLE, TX (July 3, 2025) – The Temple City Council has approved a resolution authorizing a partnership with Ceres Environmental Services (CES) to perform a citywide brush and bulk cleanup beginning Wednesday, July 9.
This contractor-led effort will help address a backlog of brush and bulk waste collection caused by recent equipment issues. CES crews will operate Monday through Saturday for approximately 22 days, helping restore consistent service and making room for scheduled maintenance of city trucks and equipment.
This is a critical step in improving our solid waste operations. These supplemental services will allow us to address current delays, establish a more reliable collection schedule moving forward, and respond to the needs of our growing city. We’re grateful to City Council for their support in making this possible.
Justin Brantley, Solid Waste Division Director
Residents are encouraged to prepare their items for this one-time citywide sweep by following the guidelines below:
- Place brush and bulk piles at the curb
- Do not place piles in the streets or on sidewalks
- Keep piles away from water meters, gas lines, mailboxes, and fire hydrants
- No alley pickups will be made
To ensure efficiency, collection crews will move through the city zone by zone, beginning in Area 2. Zone updates will be posted to templetx.gov/solidwaste as collections progress.
This is the first step in a broader effort to improve long-term brush and bulk services. For more information and updates, visit templetx.gov/solidwaste.