Service Delivery Committee Meeting: Solid Waste Management Update – July 23, 2025

The Service Delivery Committee, chaired by Councilmember Tarsha Jackson, met on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in hybrid format. The main agenda item was a presentation from newly confirmed Solid Waste Management Department Director Hassan on his first 90 days and departmental challenges. The meeting concluded at 3:25 p.m. after public comments.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Jack Valliskin (Valenski) – Stressed communication gaps, questioned the need for a separate call center (beyond 311), urged better public education on recycling, and noted that cans left on streets for weeks are a visual blight. He asked for improved fleet maintenance and requested a six-month follow-up.
• Robin Allen – Asked about inspector deployment per council district, timeline for new trucks, consideration of shift work for solid waste employees, and wait times at transfer stations. (Director Hassan noted wait times averaged 35–40 minutes, though Ms. Allen referenced past two-hour waits.)
• Ruby Bennett – Described months of missed heavy trash and tire pickup on Burnam Drive in Acres Home, despite repeated 311 calls. She stated that ties are often left behind and urged crews to pick up all piles on a street. Chair Jackson committed to coordinating with the hot team to address the issue.
• Doug Smith – Questioned the value of recycling given low market prices ($100k annual revenue) and 46% contamination, suggested evaluating cost-effectiveness, opposed combining yard waste with tree waste, and requested a website showing expected heavy trash pickup dates by neighborhood.
• Leticia Gutiérrez (Air Alliance Houston) – Represented the Houston Recycling Collaborative and Houston Keep Houston Clean Commission. She urged the city to include the Collaborative’s risks and benefits in future presentations, noted that less than 5% of recyclables are actually recycled, and raised concerns about a contract with a facility that had fire marshal violations.

Discussion Items

Director Hassan’s Presentation & Q&A

• Department Overview – 389 employees serving over 400,000 homes with an annual operating budget of $101 million.
• Service Delays – Garbage collection is on schedule; recycling is 2–4 days behind; heavy trash is two weeks behind. Yard waste is collected with heavy trash.
• Administrative Reforms – New customer service team (3 staff) to manage service request backlog; discovered over 2,000 backlogged and 8,000 total open requests (some from 2023). Consolidated four quadrants into two (north/south) to maximize truck deployment. Routes have not been rebalanced in 10 years; some routes had 1,300+ homes vs. target of 900–950. Software for daily route planning fails when behind schedule.
• Fleet Issues – Only 71% of fleet available on best day; 38–39% downtime recently. 32% of fleet is over 7 years old with 150,000+ miles. No new trucks ordered in two years. Director Hassan estimates need for 70 additional trucks (50 operational, 20 reserve).
• Container Management – No centralized tracking system; homes had 3–4 cans instead of one, adding 8,000–12,000 extra cans to service. Consolidated cans to one location; backlog of 3,000 overdue deliveries. Goal: three-to-five-day turnaround for new cans.
• Recycling Contamination – Contamination rate is approximately 46%. FCC’s contract includes education obligations, but rejected loads (over 60% contamination) result in extra landfill fees (~$195/ton). Director Hassan suggested educational stickers on bins.
• Transfer Stations – Only one recycling drop-off point (FCC) with 35–40 minute wait times; a second vendor (ITR) recently closed. Plans to bring a new transfer station online in December (Kelly/NW side) and possibly convert it to a recycling transfer station (requires legal vetting and FCC contract negotiation).
• Staffing – Discovered 30 employees with CDLs who were not driving; need 30 replacements. Heavy trash inspection team lost 8 staff to retirement; only 4 inspectors remain.
• Cost of Service – Councilmember Alcorn requested a full cost-of-service analysis for each home, noting previous estimate of ~$28/home fully loaded. Director Hassan agreed it is needed.

Council Member Questions & Comments

• Councilmember Alcorn – Inquired about FCC contract, contamination, alternative recycling drop-off, route counts (46 recycling routes), and cost of service. Emphasized need for capital and operating funding to avoid limping along.
• Councilmember Peck’s Office (Liz) – Requested better communication so council offices can relay accurate updates; raised concerns about heavy trash and tree waste piles exceeding 8-cubic-yard limit and enforcement tagging without verifying solid waste missed pickups.
• Councilmember Castillo’s Office – Echoed need for communication; asked about technology investments; suggested social media updates to preempt complaints.
• Councilmember Martinez – Asked about container replacement timeline (target 3–5 days) and heavy trash messaging to prevent pile-ups.
• Vice Chair Ramirez – Explored FCC’s education obligations, fleet modernization (70 trucks needed), and staff shortages (30 additional). Supported idea of city-run recycling transfer station.
• Mayor Pro Tem Caspect Tatum – Requested daily updates on missed pickups by council district; noted success of “Trash Facts” educational materials; asked about Kirkpatrick facility air conditioning – Director Hassan acknowledged poor conditions and committed to improvements using CIP dollars.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken. The committee received the presentation for informational purposes.
• Directive for Daily Updates – Director Hassan instructed his operations team to provide daily reports on missed collections by council district to improve transparency.
• Cost of Service Analysis – Councilmember Alcorn requested a comprehensive cost-of-service study for solid waste, to inform future budget decisions.
• Container Management Overhaul – Department will continue centralizing can inventory, tracking deliveries, and aiming for 3–5 day replacement. Hot teams from council offices will assist.
• Fleet & Staffing Needs – Director Hassan will develop detailed capital and staffing requests (70 trucks, 30 new drivers, additional inspectors) to address fleet age and service gaps.
• Recycling Transfer Station Exploration – Director Hassan plans to investigate converting the new December transfer station into a recycling drop-off point, pending legal review and contract negotiations with FCC.
• Education Campaign – Council members encouraged stickers on bins and increased use of “Trash Facts” to reduce contamination. Director Hassan agreed to pursue sticker options.
• Follow-Up – Multiple council members requested progress reports in six months. The next Service Delivery Committee meeting is scheduled for August 2025.