Council approved the purchase of 31 new trucks totaling $12.5 million. The solution comes after our reporting on the Solid Waste Management Department’s ongoing problems.
The city has 218 trucks, but each day starts with around 30 trucks down for maintenance, plus other trucks that break down. Aging software with maps that are a decade old also contributes to the slowdown.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire says that new Solid Waste Management director Larius Hassen has been making changes.
“So this department is getting a makeover,” he said. “And there’s no doubt that was causing the backlog. It was as much management as it was number of drivers. But certainly the equipment played a huge role.”
KHOU 11 spoke to Hassen, who told us some of the trucks could be here within nine to 11 days. Recycling is currently three to five days behind schedule.