If you’re in Houston and your recycling hasn’t been picked up in weeks, the mayor just revealed why — and his solution might surprise you.
HOUSTON — Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced a new strategy to address the city’s ongoing recycling crisis, which has left green bins sitting uncollected for weeks across the 600-square-mile city for more than a month.
The mayor’s plan involves expanding from a single recycling depository to potentially eight locations throughout Houston, aiming to reduce the pickup delays that have frustrated residents citywide.
“The problem with recycling is the city is under contract with a recycling firm from the previous administration that has one depository for a city of 600 square miles,” Whitmire explained. “So the new director is reaching out and contacting other sources to allow us to have multiple, maybe even eight depositories for recycling.”
The recycling backlog has been building for weeks, with many residents reaching out to local news outlets about their overflowing bins and missed collections. The mayor places responsibility for the crisis on the previous city administration’s recycling contract.
Whitmire credits interim Solid Waste Department Director Larius Hassen with implementing changes that are already showing positive results. The mayor praised Hassen’s approach to fixing what he called a fundamentally flawed system.
“He’s got moral improved, he’s got a model that’s going to serve the city,” Whitmire said. “Do they need resources? Of course they need resources. You can’t throw money at a bad model. And he inherited a bad model.”
According to the mayor, more drop-off locations would significantly reduce the delays residents have been experiencing with their recycling pickup schedules.
The public will learn more details about the recycling improvement plan on Wednesday, when Hassen is scheduled to present a comprehensive report on the issue to city officials.
The recycling crisis has affected residents across Houston, with green bins becoming a common sight on streets and in neighborhoods as the city works to resolve the collection delays that have plagued the system for weeks.