Corsicana is one of the few Texas cities that contracts out kerbside collection yet owns and operates its own landfill, and it says plainly that the site is open to the public for both residential and commercial customers. The city's landfill page does not print a rate; it directs you to the sanitation section of its Chapter 13 Municipal Fees schedule, adopted by City Council. We have read that schedule, and here is what it says.

The headline for a household trip is $21.00 for a pickup load. Beyond that, waste is charged by the cubic yard and the price depends on where it came from: uncompacted $8.60 a cubic yard in county and $9.20 outside it; compacted $9.30 in county and $9.80 outside. Special waste is much dearer and the county gap widens sharply - $25.00 a cubic yard in county against $45.00 outside. Dead animals are handled too, at $7.00 for a small one and $14.00 for a large one.

Two charges are worth avoiding. Failure to tarp or secure a load costs $50.00, which is more than twice the price of the load itself - by far the most expensive strap in the schedule. And a pull-off is $35.00 if staff have to clear your load for you. Unpaid balances attract a 10% late penalty.

The rest of the local system keeps most households away from the gate. Kerbside collection uses a 95-gallon poly cart, out by 6.30am and back in by 10pm. Recycling does not go to the landfill - Republic Services runs the only drop-off, at 3029 South 15th Street, and the city asks you to ring (903) 874-8717 to confirm opening times. Bulk items are collected on a call-in basis, on Wednesdays, booked through Republic on the same number, and unbundled brush is collected once a month. Brush pickup beyond five cubic yards is charged at $25.00 a cubic yard.