After months of missed pickups and mechanical breakdowns, the Houston City Council approved the purchase of new trucks as well as policy changes to stabilize the Solid Waste Department’s troubled fleet.
On Wednesday, council members approved more than $12.4 million for the purchase of up to 31 new garbage and recycling trucks in a renewed effort to address the city’s worsening waste collection problems.
The vote comes just one week after Larius Hassen was confirmed as the new solid waste director, following months of complaints and equipment failures that have plagued the department.
Hassen, who had served as interim director since the April resignation of Mark Wilfalk, was formally appointed last week after councilmembers reviewed a troubling report highlighting the city’s garbage woes—including an average of 30 trucks out of service each day and another 20 frequently breaking down mid-route.
In May, the city council had approved $11.4 million for 30 new work trucks. Despite that investment, conditions appear to have worsened.
According to Houston’s 3-1-1 complaint system, missed pickups—particularly for recycling—have soared. April saw 2,815 complaints for missed trash and 1,638 for missed recycling. By June, missed trash complaints had climbed to 3,342, while missed recycling complaints ballooned to 8,053.
The Solid Waste Department attributed the crisis to aging, deteriorating equipment.
Ahead of Wednesday’s vote, the department issued a statement urging council approval of the new funding:
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.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire said 11 of the newly approved trucks should be on the road within two days of the purchase order.
The city council also updated a longstanding policy that previously limited drivers to only the type of truck they were hired to operate. Under the new policy, drivers certified on multiple vehicle types can operate any qualifying truck in the fleet—aiming to improve flexibility and reduce service gaps.
Still, Whitmire emphasized that equipment isn’t the only bottleneck. “When you drill down to the contract and talk to the director, we must do better even if we have to challenge them in court,” he said, referring to the city’s recycling drop-off provider. “We can’t let them hold us hostage to one drop-off for 600 square miles if we have the personnel and the trucks in place.”
Houston currently has just one recycling drop-off location serving the entire city. Whitmire indicated renegotiating or challenging that contract would be the next step in overhauling the city’s troubled waste system.
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