Solid waste management involves the collecting, moving, and ultimately disposing of garbage. Modern cities spawn tremendous amounts of refuse just from normal activities of daily living, so having a good waste management program in place is vital to the health of any city.

Options for disposing of garbage include recycling or finding ways to reuse the waste, dumping the waste in landfills or lined pits, or burning the waste. As a rule, cities try to dispose of waste in ways that have the least negative impact on the environment.

In El Paso, Texas, solid waste management is handled by the city government. The government charges a small monthly fee for residential garbage collection. (As of 2010, the fee was $16 per month, $12 per month for residents over the age of 65 or those with severe disabilities). The fee includes one garbage pick up per week and the use of a 96-gallon garbage container. Additionally, the city also provides pick-up of recyclable items.

El Paso also offers five Citizen Collection Centers located conveniently around the city to assist with the disposal of large items and hazardous wastes. El Paso does not currently have any sites that are specific to recycling electronic equipment, although they are considering this as a possibility for the future. For now, they suggest that people with unwanted electronics dispose of them at local businesses listed on the city’s website. El Paso imposes fines for improperly disposing of garbage.

Once the garbage is collected, the non-recyclable waste is deposited in the Clint Landfill located about twenty-five miles east of El Paso.