Frontier Waste Solutions and Balcones Recycling will soon take over trash and recycling services in McKinney. City Council members heard an update on the transition at a Sept. 3 meeting.
Some routes will be changed as part of the transition, and roughly 25% of McKinney residents could have their collection day changed, Director of Public Works Ryan Gillingham said at the Sept. 3 meeting.
Frontier Waste Solutions, McKinney’s new trash and recycling collection provider, will also soon have a permanent facility in East McKinney. McKinney Planning and Zoning commissioners unanimously approved a site plan variance request for the new facility at a Sept. 10 meeting.
The context
Frontier Waste Solutions will take over as the city’s trash and recycling collection provider in the coming weeks.
The transition comes after the selection of new providers in August 2023. The official start date is Oct. 1, but Gillingham said the company will begin operations on Sept. 30 so they begin on a Monday. Over 130,000 residential trash and recycling carts were collected and replaced over the summer ahead of the provider transition.
“That went very well,” Gillingham said of the cart collection and delivery process. “There’s still some straggler carts out there, but we’re working through those.”
Delivery of commercial carts is also expected to be completed by Oct. 1, Gillingham said.
Frontier Waste Solutions has been assisting with collection services since July, an effort meant to alleviate collection disruptions due to staffing challenges of the current provider, Waste Connections, Gillingham said. Trash and recycling collection service has stabilized as a result, he said.
Frontier has also acquired all necessary equipment and personnel, and is operating out of a temporary facility near University Drive and Custer Road until the permanent facility is completed, Gillingham said.
Balcones Recycling, the city’s new recycling processing provider, will also construct a new facility to provide service to McKinney. The $62M facility is underway and on schedule to be completed April 2026 in Frisco, Gillingham said.
Joaquin Mariel, chief commercial officer for Balcones Recycling, said the company will partner with Waste Connections for processing of recyclable materials until its permanent facility is constructed.
Quote of note
“We all appreciate the work that you guys put in,” Council member Patrick Cloutier said of city staff at the Sept. 3 meeting. “The trash pickup seems to be in much better shape.”
The impact
Frontier Waste Solutions is working to balance the collection routes, and some customers may see their collection day change as a result.
Gillingham said the change will affect nearly 15,800 residential properties, representing about 25% of customers. Affected customers will receive a letter with details about the change and information about their new trash day, he said. Residents can also confirm if their trash day is changing using this online map.
The new service rate will also go into effect, with the residential monthly service rate increasing from $18.61 to $19.75, according to city documents.
Diving deeper
Frontier Waste Solutions’ new facility will be located on a 6.4 acre site at the southwest corner of Airport Drive and Wattley Way, city documents state.
The 14,500-square-foot warehouse facility will be used for truck maintenance and fueling, and an 8,000-square-foot space will be built for office operations, according to a project site plan. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved a design exception to allow a variance to the design of the bay doors.
Learn more
For information on trash and recycling collection in McKinney, visit www.mckinneytexas.org/503/residential-trash-services.
