HOUSTON – Recycling delays across Houston have left bins overflowing and residents frustrated, some waiting weeks, even months, for pickup.
Now, the City of Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department is asking for $12.5 million to purchase 25 new garbage and recycling trucks, a move officials hope will finally get collection services back on track.
The request comes amid widespread complaints from neighborhoods like Royal Oaks, where residents report that their recycling has not been collected in some cases for over a month, and in others, for nearly two.
In Royal Oaks, green bins still lined along the curbs days after their scheduled pickup. Teri Evers, a homeowner in the subdivision, said she went more than a month between collections.
“The last pickup was a month and three days after the previous one,” said Evers. “I tried to opt out, but the website says recycling is a basic service. There’s no option to leave.”
The delay forced her to toss recyclables into her regular trash bin.
“There’s a schedule, but they don’t follow it,” she said. “It just says ‘delayed,’ and then nothing happens.”
Paul Premazon, another Royal Oaks resident, said his bin has been sitting untouched for about 60 days.
“The grass underneath it is dead,” he said. “It’s been through at least two cycles.”
Earlier this month, Solid Waste Director Larius Hassen outlined several issues plaguing the department’s operations, including a lack of working trucks, staff shortages, and an unusual but damaging problem: rats chewing through truck wiring.
“Believe it or not, we have a rodent problem,” Hassen said. “Rats are chewing the wires in the trucks.”
According to a department spokesperson, nearly half of the city’s fleet is regularly out of service, often due to mechanical breakdowns, hydraulic leaks, and electrical failures. Many of the current trucks are more than seven years old and have logged over 150,000 miles.
To address the issue, the Solid Waste Management Department is backing a city council vote to allocate approximately $12.5 million from the Equipment Acquisition Consolidated Fund. If approved, the funding would allow the department to purchase 25 new collection trucks.
“This investment is an essential step in restoring stability and reliability to our operations,” the department spokesperson said in a statement to KPRC 2.
Officials say the new trucks would reduce citywide collection delays and help retire the most unreliable units in the fleet. The department also emphasized that the purchase would lower maintenance costs and improve service delivery across all neighborhoods.
Some residents, despite their frustrations, support the funding request.
“If the budget allows it, we need to use it,” said Premazon. “And we need to use it for what it’s supposed to be used for.”
Still, others like Evers say they just want clear communication.
“I’m flexible,” she said. “Just let me know what we’re supposed to be doing.”
Meanwhile, the city’s recycling delay remains three to five days behind schedule, according to the official website, though for some, the wait has been far longer.
Houston Solid Waste Management Department statement:
The Solid Waste Management Department supports the upcoming City Council vote to allocate approximately $12.5 million for the purchase of 25 new garbage and recycling collection trucks. This investment is an essential step in restoring stability and reliability to our operations.
Many of our current trucks are more than seven years old and have logged over 150,000 miles. These aging vehicles frequently experience breakdowns due to hydraulic leaks, electrical failures, and other mechanical issues. Rodents have also damaged critical wiring, a problem made worse by the lack of operational truck wash bays that would otherwise help maintain sanitary conditions.
Frequently, nearly half of our fleet is out of service. The addition of new trucks will improve collection service across the city, reduce delays, and allow us to retire the most unreliable units. This purchase is a critical step toward building a stronger and more dependable solid waste system for the City of Houston.
