Are You Allowed To Use Any Dumpster In Lubbock? Yes & No

I think we've all been there- a neighbor has totally filled up the dumpster, so where can I throw my trash away? Obviously, you can walk it further down the alley, but what if that dumpster is full, too? Are we allowed to use the next block over?

Short Answer: you can use any dumpster anywhere you like...BUT...

...there are conditions about which dumpster you can use depending on what you are throwing away. It's not a "who you are" but a "what are you doing" type of thing.

Lubbockites are explicitly allowed to use any dumpster of their choosing for normal, everyday trash as per the City of Lubbock:

Residents may use any City dumpster in a residential alley

So if you need to clean out your car, you can pull over to any dumpster you like. If you're moving and throwing a lot of stuff away, you can go to several different dumpsters. What you are not allowed to do is throw away certain items, and you're not allowed to use residential dumpsters for commercial waste.

Dumpsters are NOT for bulky items like furniture and mattresses. Those items need to be dropped off at a Citizen Convenience Station. This is also true for hazardous items (read here for more specifics on what is considered hazardous). You will need to bring proof you are a Lubbock resident to use these stations.

For commercial waste, you'll need to make special arrangements with the city. You can find information about that here.

If you suspect someone is abusing their dumpster privileges (or you have any other dumpster-related issue, like a broken one) you can report it to the city here.

Having dumpsters is a tremendous convenience here in Lubbock. Let's all do our part to keep this system working for everyone, and for goodness' sake, DON'T LEAVE A MATTRESS IN THE ALLEY!