Coppell trash carts start October 1: bags go inside the cart

Coppell trash carts become the rule on Thursday, October 1, 2026. Every single-family home gets a gray city-issued cart, 65 or 95 gallons, and household trash has to go inside it. Anything left beside the cart or on the lid is not collected. Pickup stays twice a week, bulk moves to one Thursday pickup of up to 4 cubic yards, and the monthly rate rises to $24.40 (City of Coppell).

Photo: A footbridge over a rock-lined channel in Grapevine Springs Preserve, Coppell, Texas. Larry D. Moore, 2014-07-23. CC BY 4.0 · Source. Resized for web.

What changes on October 1

From October 1, city ordinance requires household trash to go in the city-issued cart (City of Coppell). That replaces the bags and lidded cans used until now (City of Coppell). The city began delivering the gray carts the week of September 14, and residents can start using theirs as soon as it arrives (City of Coppell). The city’s August newsletter also announced the October 1 start (Coppell News).

Choosing and living with the cart

Both sizes cost the same. The 65-gallon cart holds about six 13-gallon kitchen bags and matches the size of the recycling cart. The 95-gallon cart holds about ten (City of Coppell). Homes that did not pick a size by the deadline get the 95-gallon cart (City of Coppell).

If the cart fills up, you can wait for the next pickup, pay for an extra pickup, or add a second cart for $6 a month. To add a cart or trade a 65-gallon cart for a 95-gallon one, call the city at 972-462-5177. Carts damaged in normal use are repaired or replaced at no cost, and residents who cannot move a cart may qualify for assisted collection at the same number or Evhealth@coppelltx.gov (City of Coppell). Old trash cans can be kept or set at the curb for disposal, but not used alongside the city cart (City of Coppell).

Bulk pickup moves to Thursdays

Bulk pickup drops from two days a week to one, but each pickup takes twice as much. From October 1, items too big for the cart go out on Thursdays, up to 4 cubic yards, about two pickup truck loads (City of Coppell). Refrigerators are taken only after a certified technician has removed the Freon and tagged the appliance (City of Coppell).

Why the rate goes up

The City Council approved a five-year agreement with Republic Services on July 8, 2025, running from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2031. Republic had told the city in March 2024 that it would not renew without carts instead of bags and a bulk pickup of 4 cubic yards once a week instead of 2 cubic yards twice a week (City of Coppell).

The residential rate rises from $20.51 to $24.40 a month on October 1 (City of Coppell). The city says there will be no rate increase in 2027 (City of Coppell). The charge is billed on the monthly utility bill (Coppell News).

Set-out time and missed pickups

Set everything out by 7 a.m. If an on-time set-out is not collected by the end of the day, call Republic Services at 817-332-7301; the pickup is rescheduled for no later than the next business day (City of Coppell).

Holidays ahead

Coppell’s 2026 holiday schedule lists three holidays still ahead, and only Thanksgiving moves a pickup (City of Coppell).

What this is not

The cart rule covers household trash. Recycling keeps its blue cart and its Wednesday pickup. Yard waste also stays on Wednesdays, separate from trash, in paper lawn and leaf bags or an open-top container; it does not go in the gray cart (City of Coppell). Plastic bags are not accepted for yard trimmings. Household hazardous waste and electronics stay out of the cart too: Republic Services collects them once a month by request through Coppell-HHW@republicservices.com (City of Coppell).