City Rates & Services Updates

Published on September 25, 2026

Several utility rates and Solid Waste services will change beginning October 1, 2026. Here’s what Waco residents need to know.

Utility Rate Changes

Water: Residential base rates for 3/4-inch and 1-inch meters will remain the same. Consumption rates will increase based on the amount of water used:

Monthly Water Use	Current Rate	New Rate
0–3,000 gallons	$3.47	$3.65
3,001–8,000 gallons	$4.36	$4.76
8,001–15,000 gallons	$6.95	$7.30
15,001–25,000 gallons	$9.03	$9.50
25,000+ gallons	$12.16	$12.78

Rates shown are per 1,000 gallons.

Wastewater: Inside city limits, the residential base rate will increase from $26.98 to $27.04 per month, and the consumption rate will increase from $6.97 to $7.49 per 1,000 gallons. The winter average used to calculate wastewater charges will also change to January, February and March.

Drainage: The drainage rate will increase to $5.75 per equivalent residential unit (ERU). A typical single-family property in the 1-ERU tier will pay $5.75 per month.

Street Maintenance: The single-family residential fee will increase from $4 to $5 per month.

Solid Waste Service Changes

There are no new Solid Waste fees when the October service changes begin, but residents will have new options for yard waste.

Grass, leaves and small branches can be placed directly in the gray trash cart for weekly collection. Residents can also request yard-waste collection up to twice per month for up to 20 paper bags or a brush pile no larger than 4 feet × 4 feet × 4 feet. Yard waste can also be taken to Cobbs Recycling Center or the City landfill up to four times per year at no additional charge.

Residents who already have a green yard-waste cart may keep it at no additional charge through October 1, 2027, or request to return it. Keeping the cart as an additional cart past October 1, 2027 will result in a monthly fee.

Return your green cart three ways:

Complete the Online Form
Call (254) 299-2489
Bring your cart to the Cobbs Recycling Center at 4201 Trice Ave. during regular business hours with a current City utility bill.

Collection Schedules Are Changing

A limited number of households will also receive a new trash or recycling collection day. Residents affected by route changes will be contacted directly. The new pickup schedule starts Monday, October 5th, and updated collection calendars will be included with October utility bills.

During holiday collection weeks, all pickups will move one day later—never earlier than the regular collection day.

For example, if Tuesday is a holiday:

Tuesday’s pickup will slide to Wednesday
Wednesday’s pickup will slide to Thursday
Thursday’s pickup will slide to Friday

With the new schedule, you'll never be surprised by your pickup moving to an earlier day in the week.