For fiscal year 2026-27, the city of Denton will spend about $12.1 million more on solid waste services, like recycling and trash collection, to keep up with city growth, according to a July 21 report from Denton Chief Strategic Officer Aimee Kaslik.
Diving deeper
In FY 2025-26, Kaslik’s estimates showed the city incurred $42.9 million in expenditures for solid waste. Preliminary budget projections for FY 2026-27 show the city plans to spend about $55 million on solid waste, an increase of about $12.1 million.
The increases are primarily driven by new solid waste vehicles and hiring additional personnel, Kaslik said.
“For solid waste, in order to maintain their current service levels, they do need to add personnel and vehicles, and that is really to meet the demands of growth,” Kaslik said. “Particularly when we are looking at [master-planned communities like] Landmark, Hunter [Ranch] and Cole [Ranch].”
By the numbers
The vehicle replacement budget roughly doubled between FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27 projections. The city spent about $3.46 million on vehicle replacements in FY 2025-26 and plans to spend about $7.3 million in FY 2026-27.
The vehicle replacements include collection trucks and landfill equipment, said Brenda Haney, the city's solid waste and recycling director.
The city will also spend about $4 million to add seven new trucks to the solid waste fleet. The solid waste department will also hire seven additional workers, adding another $731,132 to the budget.
Projections show solid waste expenditures will reach $63.2 million by FY 2030-31.
Looking ahead Council members will adopt the budget Sept. 22 following a Sept. 15 public hearing, according to council documents. The new fiscal year will start Oct. 1.
To help cover the increased costs, Denton officials plan to raise rates in future years and sell renewable natural gas generated by the city's landfill as part of the city’s partnership with Mayhill Renewables, a renewable natural gas developer.
Haney said the city will net between $500,000-$1 million in selling natural gas from the landfill.
