The first thing to know about dumping in Big Spring is that the address most people still have is wrong. The City landfill on East FM 700 is permanently closed. Everything - public and commercial alike - now goes to the Big Sandy Landfill at 3601 Old Colorado City Highway, which opened in July 2021. If your satnav is pointing at FM 700 you are heading for a shut gate.

Entry is gated on residency rather than payment. The city requires two forms of proof of residence - a driver's licence and a utility bill, with address, name and photo all matching - and it states plainly that waste from outside the City of Big Spring or Howard County is not accepted at all. That is a hard geographic boundary, not a surcharge.

Once you are in, the rate card is short. Limbs and brush clippings are $50.80 the ton. Large items and additional household trash are the same, $50.80 the ton. An unsecured load costs $15 on top, which is the cheapest strap you will ever buy, and a $1.25 environmental fee is assessed per residential or commercial unit. Special waste - anything that by its physical nature needs special handling by site staff - is $100 and requires the City Manager's written approval before it arrives, so that is a phone call days ahead rather than a conversation at the scale.

Commercial haulers work under a separate permit. A private collector permit costs $500 per vehicle, payable in advance and not pro-rated, and permit holders then pay $46.92 per ton plus surcharges. The application goes to the City Manager and asks for trading name, vehicle count, conviction history and evidence of financial responsibility. Cash and credit cards are both accepted at the gate. The landfill runs Monday to Saturday, 8am to 5pm, and is closed Sundays.