HOUSTONMany Houstonians claim that the trucks still haven’t come, despite city officials saying they are putting in a lot of overtime to address the recycling issues. Despite Mayor John Whitmire’s and the Solid Waste Department’s assurances, residents of the city are still complaining about delayed service and weeks-long wait times.
Numerous Houstonians shared their experiences of missing pickups, delayed service, and mounting annoyance in response to our request for information on what’s going on in their areas.
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According to Laura, who lives in the 77031 ZIP code, trucks rarely arrive on the designated day since recycling delays have grown so frequent in her neighborhood this year. She went on to say that it would be wonderful to see this improve.
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According to Heather, a resident of 77009, her previous pickup was two weeks ago, however it wasn’t delivered until a full month later. She has yet to get her next scheduled pickup, which is now five days past due.
According to Cynthia in 77022, her recycling container has been left out on the curb for more than a week. According to her, recycling is rarely picked up on the appropriate day. Last Tuesday was my scheduled day.
Tim, a Highland Village (77027) homeowner, said that his neighborhood had not had a recycling pickup in three weeks.
Ronnie in 77020, Johnny in 77076, and Janie in 77078 all reported that their bins had been left out without any servicing for more than a month. “Mine has been sitting outside for nearly a month,” Yesenia commented, echoing the identical experience without offering a ZIP code.
Recycling has been picked up on her street a day late, which Blanca in 77088 said she can live with. However, she added, “If our street is missed, I just call 311 and they come within a day or two.”
Sheri in 77006 and Chuck in 77057 confirmed that delays were also occurring in their communities. Indeed! Sheri wrote, expressing how frustrated she was.
Cyril attributed the persistent problems to a shortage of drivers and claimed that the city’s trash agency is woefully understaffed. He claimed that the mayor is missing and that Houston’s streets are in terrible shape.
Richard raised more serious issues, stating that throughout the previous six years, there had been significant breakdowns in Houston’s recycling system, including mismanagement, delays, and broken promises. He continued by saying that even if a sophisticated recycling program was started in 2022, a large portion of the plastic that is gathered is either left unprocessed or is kept in facilities that have not passed inspections.
Shirley said, “I’ll just start throwing everything away, recycling or not,” which seems to be how many people feel. I’m fed up with the city’s inaction and delays.
ZIP codes where residents reported recycling pickup delays:
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77009
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77013
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77020
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77022
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77023
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77027
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77031
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77033
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77035
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77043
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77057
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77063
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77076
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77078
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77087
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77088
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77093
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77336
Although citizens have been reassured by the mayor and the city of Houston that efforts are being made to address the issues, there are still some delays.
During a Houston City Council hearing, Interim Solid Waste Director Larius Hassen listed numerous issues, including outdated machinery, a lack of employees, rodents destroying vehicles, and raw sewage backing up in facilities.
“The past ninety days have been difficult,” Hassen stated. A former member informed me that we would never be able to catch up on recycling. Trash is two to three days late, and it will be five to eight days behind. Every day of the week, we put in 12 to 14 hours of work.
Hassen and Whitmire both promised to make adjustments and stated that these issues began prior to their employment.
Hassen informed the council that this had been happening for six years. I inherited this issue, and Mayor Whitmire inherited it as well.
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Overflowing recycling bins frustrate Houston residents amid pickup delays
According to homeowner Mark Capper of Spring Branch, it has been nearly a month. We prepared drinks, paper plates, and napkins for our graduation celebration. Our recycle bin overflowed and we had to start stacking items in the garage after the city failed to pick it up.
The City of Houston Solid Waste Department responded to the problems by pointing out that 46 of the city’s aged fleet of trucks are presently out of commission. It may take six to eight months before the 34 new trucks that have been cleared for purchase are put into service, according to officials.
If you have been experiencing delayed or absent recycling pickups, KPRC 2 would like to know. To let us know where in Houston you are having problems, please share your experience and zip code in the comments section.
