The Parkway Transfer Station is one of three North Texas Municipal Water District sites that Plano routes its do-it-yourself disposal through. It sits at 4030 W Plano Parkway, behind the city's animal shelter. NTMWD owns and runs it, but the rules on who may tip and what it costs come from the member city - in this case Plano.

Six days a week, Monday to Saturday, the station receives loads between 8am and 4:30pm. Plano residential Environmental Waste Services customers get two free drop-offs a month under the city's DIY programme, covering household waste and recycling. Accepted recyclables include metal appliances, used oil up to five gallons a visit, used oil filters, and whole passenger vehicle tires up to four a visit.

The exclusions matter more here than the price. Remodeling materials fall outside the free programme entirely. Household hazardous waste - batteries, fluorescent bulbs, paint, pool chemicals, fertilizers - is not taken at all, though Plano residents can book a separate chemical collection. Shingles and roofing material are refused. Fence panels, soil, brick and concrete are allowed only where they make up ten per cent or less of the load by volume; go over that and the entire load is rejected, and you are sent to pay at NTMWD's 121 Regional Disposal Facility instead.

Brush and untreated, unpainted wood are not handled at Parkway. Those go to the Texas Pure grind facility at the Custer Road Transfer Station, and must be under eight feet in any dimension.

Plano publishes no per-load or per-ton price for paid drop-offs at this station, so we are not quoting one. Call 972-596-8709 before you travel if your load might exceed the free allowance or contain anything on the excluded list.