After a bumpy stretch of missed trash pickups that put garbage collection on the political hot seat, Fort Worth officials say service finally started to steady in late 2025. City data presented to the council show missed residential collections trending down after a summer spike that drew scrutiny from elected officials, even as crews continue to tweak routes and repair equipment.
Late-2025 numbers show improvement
According to a report delivered to City Council, Fort Worth's monthly average of missed residential trash collections fell to about 2,200 per month between July and December 2025. Missed attempts still peaked at more than 3,000 in September, then dropped to roughly 1,800 in October. The report, shared with council members on Jan. 27, credited route adjustments and closer day-to-day monitoring for the improvement, as reported by Fort Worth Report.
How that compares to earlier months
The late-2025 decline followed a stretch of elevated misses during the transition to the new contractor. City records show missed pickups rose after the contract amendment in 2024 and averaged in the mid-two-thousands for portions of 2024 and 2025. That compares with roughly 1,600 monthly misses reported between October 2023 and March 2024, according to KERA.
On-the-ground fixes: routes, trucks and drop-off help
To slow the wave of complaints about missed collections, city staff and Waste Management rolled out several operational fixes. Those included modified routes, daily updates on incomplete routes and equipment repairs meant to cut down on service gaps. A Jan. 27 report to council noted that environmental services staff were temporarily stationed at drop-off stations to assist crews while trucks were being repaired and rotated, as detailed by Fort Worth Report.
The city maintains four drop-off stations for residents, and the Environmental Services website lists locations and hours and explains how to use those sites, according to City of Fort Worth Environmental Services.
Policy and what comes next
Council members have pointed to the May 2024 vote to remove a 25% minority-subcontracting requirement as a turning point, and they have said they plan to keep a close eye on contractor performance. The change, along with Waste Management's December 2024 assumption of remaining city routes, remains a political flashpoint as city staff monitor service metrics and consider contract remedies if pickups do not stabilize, per reporting by KERA.
How residents should report missed pickups
If your trash is not picked up, the city asks residents to leave carts at the curb and report the miss through the MyFW app or the 311 Contact Center so the case is logged and crews can respond. The city's solid waste guidance spells out the 24-hour reporting window and provides contact options for tracking and resolution, per the City of Fort Worth.
