Texarkana, Texas Waste Franchise & Dumpster Restriction Tracker

According to TXK Today's June 25, 2026 review of the City of Texarkana's franchise contract, the city granted Waste Management "the exclusive right and privilege" to collect waste from residential, commercial, and industrial properties (approved December 2016, effective March 1, 2017, amended February 2024), and the article reports that the exclusive right extends to roll-off bins — the open-top containers used at construction sites — and that contractor-generated remodel debris is deemed "Commercial Waste" under the agreement. The city receives a 10% franchise fee, which the article reports applies to direct-billed roll-off services. The article describes two city enforcement records: a project-file comment telling a property owner to remove an "unapproved dumpster" because "Waste Management has exclusive rights for debris removal," and a stop work notice citing a "dumpster with Western Waste." The contract reportedly does not reach inert material such as concrete, dirt, rock, and land-clearing debris, so the practical dispute appears to center on mixed construction and remodel debris. No lawsuit has been filed against Texarkana. The city's solid waste code is Chapter 22; the raw signed contract should still be obtained to fully confirm the exact terms.

County

Bowie County

Population

Approx. 36,000 (needs verification)

Provider / franchise holder

Waste Management (WM)

Parent company

WM (Waste Management, Inc.)

Agreement type

Exclusive solid waste franchise (Waste Management; approved December 2016, effective March 1, 2017, auto-renewing; amended February 2024)

Exclusive status

Exclusive

Franchise fee

10% — 10% franchise fee to the city. According to TXK Today's review of the contract, the fee applies to "payments actually received from Commercial and Industrial Unit Customers that Contractor direct bills for Roll-Off Bin services," and is built into the published rates. Franchise fees of this kind are common among Texas cities and are not unusual on their own; the article's point is that the structure gives the city a continuing financial stake in its contractor's roll-off revenue.

Freedom Index rating

🔴 Exclusive Market

Roll-off dumpsters mentioned

Yes

Temporary waste mentioned

Yes

Self-haul exception

Needs verification

City authorization required

Needs verification. According to the article, the city directed a property owner to contact a Waste Management representative to arrange an approved dumpster, which suggests approval runs through the franchised hauler rather than a city permit process. This needs confirmation from the contract and code.

The City of Texarkana, Texas regulates solid waste under Chapter 22 of its Code of Ordinances. The exclusivity itself appears to flow from the city's franchise contract rather than from a numbered ordinance section. According to TXK Today's review of that contract, the City Council approved an exclusive franchise with Waste Management in December 2016 (effective March 1, 2017; amended February 2024) granting WM "the exclusive right and privilege" to collect waste from residential, commercial, and industrial properties — including commercial/industrial waste in dumpsters, compactors, and roll-off bins — with the city receiving a 10% franchise fee. The raw signed contract and the specific code sections should still be obtained to move this record from news-reported to fully document-confirmed.

Relevant location: Chapter 22 — Solid Waste · Chapter 22 (Solid Waste); the exclusive right and 10% franchise fee are set by the city's 2017 Waste Management contract, as reviewed by TXK Today (which quoted the contract's 'exclusive right and privilege' language).

Code of Ordinances Municode

According to TXK Today's review of the City of Texarkana's franchise contract with Waste Management (approved by the City Council in December 2016, effective March 1, 2017, auto-renewing, last updated February 2024), the agreement grants Waste Management "the exclusive right and privilege" to collect and dispose of waste from residential, commercial and industrial properties across the city. The article reports that a later section extends that exclusive right to commercial and industrial waste hauled in dumpsters, compactors or roll-off bins, and that a further provision deems contractor-generated remodel debris to be "Commercial Waste." The article also reports the contract grants Waste Management the right to seek a court injunction against any third party believed to be infringing its exclusive rights, and commits the city to "take all steps necessary and permitted by law to require Customers to comply" with the agreement. The city receives a 10% franchise fee on direct-billed roll-off services. The contract reportedly excludes inert material (concrete, dirt, rock, land-clearing debris) from its definition of construction debris. These terms are as reported by the outlet; obtaining the raw signed agreement is recommended to move this record to "Confirmed by contract."

Construction dumpsters included: Yes.

According to TXK Today's review of the city's franchise contract, Waste Management's exclusive right covers commercial and industrial waste hauled in dumpsters, compactors, or roll-off bins — the open-top containers used at construction sites. The article further reports that a separate provision deems construction debris generated by a contractor on a homeowner's remodel to be "Commercial Waste," which under the contract's own logic places remodel debris inside the exclusive territory. The article also reports the contract excludes inert material — concrete, dirt, rock and land-clearing debris — from its definition of construction debris, which the outlet suggests may be why some independent roll-off companies operate in Texarkana without conflict. The raw signed contract should be obtained to confirm.

• According to TXK Today, a city official wrote in a comment on a property's city project file: "Please remove the unapproved dumpster from the property. Waste Management has exclusive rights for debris removal." The article reports the comment directed the property owner to contact a Waste Management representative to arrange an approved dumpster instead.
• According to TXK Today, a stop work notice from the City Inspection Office halted construction on a structure and listed two violations: a missing remodel permit and, written by hand, a "dumpster with Western Waste." A copy of a City of Texarkana stop work notice matching this description was independently submitted to this project by an operator and is displayed on this page.
• According to the article, the city has not addressed the practice publicly, and the records reviewed do not show the city's justification or how often such notices are issued. Those questions remain open.

First-hand accounts from dumpster operators who say they were enforced against in this city. Reporters are kept anonymous unless they chose to be identified.

1. Operator A

   An operator reported being told they could not place their own construction dumpster in the Texarkana area because of the city’s waste franchise agreement — that only the franchised hauler (Waste Management) was allowed. The operator says a supporting document is on file. (The reporter listed the Arkansas side of Texarkana; the exclusive arrangement is documented on the Texas side and should be confirmed for the specific location.)

2. Operator B

   An operator reports that the City of Texarkana issued a “Stop Work Notice” on a private remodel that flagged, among the listed discrepancies, a “dumpster with Western Waste” — a hauler other than the city’s. The notice ordered construction stopped and stated all work must be performed by contractors registered with the city. The operator understood this to mean an outside dumpster company could not be used on the job. (A remodel-permit issue was also cited on the same notice.)

Media submitted to the Texas Waste Freedom Project. Reflects the submitter’s account; presented as documentation.

Status: No known challenge

No known lawsuit or legal challenge at this time, according to available sources.

1. Exclusive franchise approved · 2016-12
   The Texarkana City Council approved an exclusive solid waste franchise with Waste Management, according to TXK Today's review of the contract.
2. Franchise takes effect · 2017-03-01
   The agreement took effect and, per the article, renews automatically and remains in force.
3. Contract amended · 2024-02
   According to the article, a 2024 amendment added a Waste Management commitment to donate $10,000 per year to Keep Texarkana Beautiful or a similar city program and to forego a scheduled rate increase that year.
4. TXK Today publishes contract review · 2026-06-25
   TXK Today published a review of the city's franchise contract and two city enforcement records — a project-file comment and a stop work notice — reporting that the exclusive right reaches construction roll-offs and that the city receives a 10% franchise fee.

News coverage and published reporting that specifically references this city’s waste ordinance, franchise, or dumpster rules.

• Texarkana's waste contract gives Waste Management exclusive rights, and the city a 10 percent cut
  TXK Today (Texarkana Today) · 2026-06-25

  An investigative review of the City of Texarkana's franchise contract with Waste Management. The article reports that the agreement grants "the exclusive right and privilege" to collect waste citywide, that the exclusive right extends to roll-off bins used at construction sites, that contractor-generated remodel debris is deemed "Commercial Waste," and that the city receives a 10% franchise fee on direct-billed roll-off services. It publishes two city enforcement records — a project-file comment and a stop work notice — and compares the structure to the arrangement challenged in the Institute for Justice's Waxahachie lawsuit. It also notes the contract's inert-material carve-out and a 2016 federal appeals decision involving San Angelo upholding a city's authority in this area.

• Texarkana's waste contract gives Waste Management exclusive rights, and the city a 10 percent cut (TXK Today, June 25, 2026)News reportReported by news
• City of Texarkana Code of Ordinances, Chapter 22 — Solid Waste (Municode)OrdinanceNeeds verification
• City–Waste Management franchise agreement, effective March 1, 2017, amended February 2024 (terms quoted by TXK Today; raw signed document to be obtained)ContractReported by news
• City of Texarkana “Stop Work Notice” flagging a dumpster from a non-city hauler (redacted photo, displayed)Field reportField report only
• Petition, American AF Dumpster Rentals v. City of Waxahachie (DocumentCloud, via TXK Today) — comparison case, not a Texarkana filingCourt filingReported by news

Texarkana's exclusive franchise with Waste Management — including coverage of roll-off/construction containers and a 10% city fee — is documented through TXK Today's June 25, 2026 review of the city's contract, plus the city's Chapter 22 ordinance and a stop work notice independently submitted to this project. Two details are worth flagging for accuracy: (1) the contract reportedly excludes inert material such as concrete, dirt, rock and land-clearing debris from its definition of construction debris, so the dispute is specifically over mixed construction and remodel debris, not every roll-off in the city; and (2) Texas courts have generally upheld a home-rule city's power to fold roll-off dumpsters into an exclusive franchise — the article cites a 2016 federal appeals decision involving San Angelo. The Institute for Justice's Waxahachie suit advances a different theory, under the Texas Constitution's ban on monopolies. No lawsuit has been filed against Texarkana. To upgrade this record to "Confirmed by contract," obtain the raw signed franchise agreement.

Confidence level: Reported by news · Verification status: Chapter 22 confirmed. Exclusivity, roll-off coverage, the "deemed Commercial Waste" provision, the city's enforcement commitment, and the 10% franchise fee are reported by TXK Today based on the outlet's review of the 2017 Waste Management contract; the raw signed agreement has not yet been independently obtained by this project. Exclusivity flows from the contract, not a numbered ordinance section. Two enforcement records are described in the reporting, one of which matches a document independently submitted to this project.

Have a correction, a source document, or first-hand experience with dumpster rules in Texarkana? Help us verify this record.