The FCC Environmental Services facility in northeast Houston is the only location where city recycling trucks can drop off material.
HOUSTON — Ongoing delays in recycling collection across Houston can be tied, in part, to the city’s reliance on a single processing facility, according to the interim director of Solid Waste Management.
In an exclusive interview with KHOU 11, interim director Larius Hassen said the FCC Environmental Services facility in northeast Houston is the only location where city recycling trucks can drop off material.
“Just imagine if you have 60 or 70 trucks going to one facility,” Hassen said. “It’s almost like having one H-E-B on the other side of town.”
The city contracted with FCC, a Spain-based company, in 2019 when the facility opened. It was designed to process up to 145,000 tons of recycling each year. But other private recycling trucks also use the site, which at times can contribute to long wait times and delays in neighborhood pickups.
To address the issue, Hassen said the department is exploring temporary solutions like finding additional locations for recycling to be dropped off by city trucks.
“We’re working with the chief procurement officer, we’re reaching out to look at privatizing some of it until we get some help,” Hassen told KHOU 11. “Also looking to piggyback off contracts, we’ll open up more places for us to take the recycling.”
It’s just one way, Hassen said, he is trying to address current delays while also looking ahead to more long-term solutions for the department.
“We are going over a complete overhaul, and we’re doing everything that we can to make sure that the trash recycling, heavy trash, yard waste, we have new innovative ways of coming,” Hassen said.
Hassen is expected to present a report on the department’s performance to City Council on July 9.