Southwest Transfer Station

Southwest Transfer Station is the sort of place neighbors bring a pickup load or a trailer when landfill runs are too far. Located in south Dallas, it's used by residents and small haulers who want to drop off compacted trash rather than drive out of town. Expect a working, industrial yard rather than a tidy recycling center.

Pull up to a staffed entrance booth and get directed toward the weigh scale and unloading lane; many people stop at the scale both coming and going since loads are often weighed. The site is a concrete-and-asphalt lot with big roll-off bays and compactors visible from the drive; trucks rumble in and out and compacted loads sit in bigger containers before being shipped off. Residential traffic can back up on weekends or during spring cleanup, so lines at the entrance are common and movement through the yard can be slow. Look for unloading lanes where people back in to dump or hand off materials, and follow the flow of traffic rather than trying to cut across the yard.