Universal City is getting a new company to haul its trash. At its March 17 meeting, the City Council approved a five-year solid-waste contract with Frontier Waste Solutions that will start Aug. 3, 2026 and run through July 31, 2031. The deal will cost the city about $306,628 a month, or roughly $3.67 million a year, while the typical household's monthly bill is set to dip slightly to $27.85 under the new agreement.
Council Signed Off After Competitive Bidding
Universal City’s City Council voted March 17 to award the municipal solid-waste contract to Frontier Waste Solutions, according to Community Impact. The decision followed a competitive request-for-proposals process, where a seven-member committee reviewed written bids and held in-person interviews before settling on its recommendation.
What The Contract Requires
Per Universal City, the agreement runs from Aug. 3, 2026 through July 31, 2031 and can be extended for two additional two-year terms. The documents spell out twice-weekly trash pickup, once-weekly recycling and weekly bulk, brush and household hazardous-waste collection. The contract also lays out transition milestones, reporting rules and performance standards that Frontier must meet before full operations begin.
How Bills And Bulk Pickup Will Change
City Manager Kim Turner told Community Impact the city will pay Frontier $306,628 per month, which works out to about $3.67 million a year. The residential rate in the contract is $26.75 plus $1.10 for hazardous-waste services, for a total of $27.85 per month compared with the current $28.07 charged under Waste Management.
The council presentation covered in the reporting also shows a major jump in brush and bulk capacity. The city will move from 24 cubic yards per home each year, collected quarterly, to 208 cubic yards per home each year with weekly pickups. R. L. "Lynn" Lantrip, the consultant who advised the city, was quoted as saying, "The faster brush and bulk gets out of a town, the cleaner the town stays."
Who Frontier Is And Why It Matters Locally
Frontier Waste Solutions is a Texas-based hauler that lists San Antonio among its service areas on its website and provides municipal collection services across the state. The company has landed other municipal contracts in the region. The Houston Chronicle reported that Conroe approved a large multi-year deal with Frontier in January 2025, a sign of the firm’s growing footprint in local government work.
What Happens Next For Residents
The city’s RFP requires a detailed transition plan and directs staff to work with Frontier to finalize routes, cart inventories and customer-notification plans ahead of the Aug. 3 start date, according to the city documents. Residents should keep an eye on official Universal City channels for updated route maps and collection-day information. Frontier also offers schedule tools and account alerts that will likely be rolled out once service begins.
