The Westside Citizen Collection Station at 121 Atlantic Road is one of five drop-off sites run by the City of El Paso Environmental Services Department for residents who pay the city's monthly solid waste fee. There is no charge at the gate — the service is already paid for through the fee that appears on the El Paso Water bill — but access is now controlled, and that is the single most important change for anyone who used the site in previous years.
Visitors must request a pass before using any collection station. On arrival, everyone, including active-duty military personnel and veterans, must present a current water bill together with valid identification showing an address that matches the bill. Residents are limited to four visits a month. A combined cap of five gallons a month applies to paint and motor oil. Trailers need a single axle, capped at eight feet.
The stations take household trash, bulky items, recyclables and household hazardous waste, and they double as drop-off points for electronics and used cooking oil. They also function as a resource rather than just a disposal point: each site offers free paint, free mulch and gently used household products through the city's reuse programmes, and tools can be borrowed for landscaping work.
The firmest restriction is on construction and demolition material, which is refused outright — the city's wording covers both household and commercial construction waste, so a load of drywall, timber or old fencing from a home renovation will be turned away no matter who is driving. Commercial businesses and contractors cannot use the stations at all.
Hours are 8am to 4pm, Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. Note that this is a five-day week and not the Monday-to-Saturday schedule that older listings show. Stations may close or shorten hours during wind, rain or snow events, which in El Paso means the spring dust season in particular, so calling (915) 212-6000 before setting out is worthwhile. Closures fall on New Year's Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve.