Of the four pounds of garbage that every American throws away on a daily basis, at least 75 percent of that waste could either be reused, recycled, or composted. Despite major gains in citywide composting and municipal recycling programs, the average recycling rate across the United States is hovering around 34 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Compared to Germany, which has a recycling rate of 67 per cent for household waste, around 70 per cent for production and commercial waste, and almost 90 per cent for construction and demolition waste, it’s clear that we have a way to go to reduce our environmental footprint.  

In the state of Texas, unfortunately, we´re lagging even farther behind in the quest to achieve a “zero waste future.”  The recycling rate in Texas is only 19 percent, and in some cities, the rate is even significantly below that amount.  

In this short article, we´ll take a look at some of the challenges and encouraging signs in Dallas related to reducing the amount of trash we send to local landfills. We´ll also look at how hiring Junk King for your dallas junk removal needs can help homeowners reduce the amount of bulky waste items that end up in our city’s landfill.  

The Challenges of Waste Streams in Dallas  

First the bad news. As we mentioned in the introduction, the state of Texas is significantly behind the rest of the nation in terms of recycling rate, and Dallas isn’t much better. In 2013, the city of Dallas had a diversion rate of 20 percent. That year, the city government published a plan to double that amount by 2020. Despite good intentions, however, the 2017 recycling rate continued to maintain around 20 percent. One of the biggest challenges is to find ways to get multifamily housing and commercial businesses to participate in recycling programs.  

Illegal dumping is another worrisome problem in the Dallas area where many people have come to consider the City’s rivers and abandoned areas as their own personal landfill.  To name just one example, the amount of tires being dumped into the Trinity River is becoming a serious public health problem. Not only are they unsightly and cause a potential threat for flooding as they block waterways, but they are also a source of pollution and contamination of our water. In fact, the city of Dallas recently spent $3.2 million removing tires from the Trinity River.  

Some Signs for Hope  

In spite of the low recycling rate and the problems with illegal dumping, there are some signs for hope. The city recently built and opened a new, state of the art, $20 million recycling facility. According to the Dallas City News, “the facility processes more than 250 tons of recyclable material per day and will process and recycle approximately 5,000 tons of materials every month.” The facility is one of the main strategies used by the local government to encourage businesses and apartment complexes to increase their recycling rates. The city also has 152 drop off locations where Dallas residents can drop off some of their recyclable wastes.  

Furthermore, the city government has also committed to moving in the right direction. They hope to achieve a 60 percent landfill diversion rate by 2030, and hope to become Zero Waste by 2040. Though those certainly are lofty goals, having an objective to work towards is certainly important. To attain these goals, the main challenge the city faces is related to organic and bulky waste items. The city’s Sanitation Services Coordinator, Murray Myers, recently stated that “Dallas does really well with recycling paper, bottles and cans, but a few updates to the bulk and brush collection would significantly improve our diversion rate.”  

Why You Should Consider Junk King for Your Junk Removal in Dallas

While public recycling services for bulk trash and landscape waste are still yet to appear, Junk King of Dallas is one private junk removal company that can help homeowners and business owners find an efficient and cost effective solution for these junk removal needs. Junk King is a full-service junk removal service in Dallas and statewide, serving both homeowners and  businesses. We can help you remove virtually anything that is not classified as toxic waste. This includes used furniture, appliances and other sources of e-waste, hot tubs, yard waste, mattresses, and everything in between.  

We also believe that our customers in the Dallas region deserve the absolute best service when it comes to professional junk removal. We understand that dealing with years of accumulation of stuff can be a stressful process, and the actual moving of the junk or waste is not an ordeal that can be undertaken by anyone.  

Even better, we also make every effort to ensure that your home or business´s junk is given every opportunity to be either donated, recycled, or reused. Our company is proud to say that we have a landfill diversion rate of 60 percent, more than triple that of the city municipal trash service. Our network of relationships with recycling centers, thrift stores, donation areas, and others allows us to make every conceivable effort to make sure the majority of your trash stays out of our landfills.  

Junk King of Dallas offers our professional junk pick up services to both individuals, homeowners, and businesses in the wider Dallas area, including Balch Springs, Cedar Hill, Fate, Ferris, Forney, Garland, Grapevine, Hutchins, Josephine, Mesquite, Plano, Princeton, Red Oak, Richardson, Rockwall, Rowlett, and Royse City. Improving the recycling rate of our city´s businesses and residents requires the efforts of everyone involved. We believe that our efficient service, fair and transparent pricing, and our commitment to recycling, reusing, or donating the highest amount of trash possible offers a solution for businesses and individual residents to get rid of their bulky trash items in the most environmentally friendly way.  

How Our Junk Removal Services Work

We know that getting rid of your junk is often a time consuming process, and we seek to make this transition as easy and efficient as possible. Simply give us a call at 1-888-888-5865 (JUNK) to talk with one of our professional customer service representatives. We promise to offer fair, transparent, and upfront pricing, and can beat any written estimate. For simpler jobs, you text us an image of what you need to get rid of at 1 (737) 888-5865 and we will text you back with a cost estimate. We also offer online pricing and booking that you can find at this link.  

Once we have agreed upon a price, our customers can choose a day and a two hour window for pickup. In many cases, we are able to pick up on the same day you contact us. Our professional junk removal experts will call you 15-30 minutes before they arrive to make sure it is a convenient time for you. If you need to rid yourself of years of junk, call Junk King Dallas at 1-888-888-5865 (JUNK) or book online today.