The City of Galveston Transfer Station on Harborside Drive is where island residents bring whatever their kerbside cart cannot swallow. Unusually for Texas, the city still runs sanitation in-house, a requirement written into its charter, and the transfer station is part of that operation. The sanitation department answers on (409) 797-3630.

Opening runs from 7:30am to 4:45pm Monday through Friday, with a Saturday morning session from 7:30am until 11:45am. The station is closed on Sunday.

Residents get one free trip a month, carrying up to 1,000 pounds of material. To claim it you need a current city water bill together with a matching valid driver's licence or photo ID — the bill alone is not enough, and the names have to line up. Businesses are charged a fee rather than given the free allowance.

There is an access rule here that no amount of paperwork gets you around, and it is worth reading twice before you set off. Anyone dropping refuse at the Harborside Drive station is required to wear a hard hat and a high-visibility vest, on top of proving residency and producing the utility bill. Arrive without them and you will not be unloading, however light the trailer.

One point of possible confusion at this address. Directory listings also show a Republic Services transfer station at 5515 Harborside Drive with different weekday hours and no Saturday opening. The city's own page is the authority for the municipal service described here; if you are a commercial hauler rather than a resident with a water bill, check which operation you are actually dealing with before you turn up. For the full current list of acceptable and prohibited items, the sanitation department publishes it alongside the station hours, and it is worth a look if your load is unusual.