<\/p>\n
One of the city’s solid waste vehicles collects trash on Merrill St in the Heights on February 19, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jill Karnicki\/Staff photographer<\/p>\n
Houston City Council approved an $18 billion capital projects plan<\/a> Wednesday that only modestly increases spending on solid waste facilities and equipment, even as the city begins charging residents a new $5 monthly fee<\/a> to support waste services.<\/p>\n Mayor John Whitmire and administration officials repeatedly have said the new fee and a plan to restructure how the long-struggling Solid Waste Management Department is funded will improve services, but they have offered few specifics and have not released the performance measures<\/a> they will use to track improvements.<\/p>\n Houston’s Budget: Houston lags behind other major Texas cities in recycling. Will the new trash fee improve that?<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Capital Improvement Plan passed Wednesday projects $92 million in solid waste spending over the next five fiscal years, including facility improvements, vehicles and equipment. That’s just $9 million more than was included in last year\u2019s plan, before the city approved the fee and moved the department into the city utility system within Houston Public Works.<\/p>\n Much of the solid waste spending outlined in the infrastructure plan is directed toward replacing vehicles, repairing aging facilities and rebuilding the Northwest Transfer Station.<\/p>\n Solid waste investments account for a small share of the overall plan, which also includes funding for street, drainage and utility projects, library improvements, park projects, fire equipment and technology upgrades across city departments.<\/p>\n The largest project in the plan is the $252 million Surface Water Transmission Program, to expand the city\u2019s drinking water network. Another $211 million is slated for sewer treatment plant improvements, with $147 million projected for fixes to sewer lift stations, which move waste toward treatment plants.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n More: Critics warn Mayor John Whitmire’s budget could strain Houston water-sewer system for years to come<\/a><\/p>\n The plan also includes $150 million for street and traffic projects, $78 million for regional stormwater detention projects and $48 million for the Storm Water Action Team, which handles\u00a0 local drainage concerns.<\/p>\n Voters will be asked to approve new bonds to fund the plan \u201cwithin a year or so,” Finance Director Melissa Dubowski told the council\u2019s budget committee on June 8<\/a>.<\/p>\n The city typically holds a bond election every four to six years, she said; the last one was in 2022.<\/p>\n Solid Waste project spending<\/p>\n The plan identifies $92 million in planned solid waste spending over the next five years. Of that total, $29.8 million is dedicated to facilities, including a $17.7 million replacement of the Northwest Transfer Station, where city trucks drop waste for it to be trucked to the landfill.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Another $62.1 million in solid waste-related spending appears elsewhere in the plan, primarily for new vehicles and equipment, including trash trucks, bulk-waste vehicles, tree-waste equipment and vehicle-tracking technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n The council on Wednesday adopted an amendment from Council Member Alejandra Salinas to accelerate the purchase of trash trucks by moving $2.2 million from later years of the capital plan into the next fiscal year, which starts July 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n More:\u00a0Houstonians have given up on yard waste pick up, data shows. Will Mayor Whitmire’s budget fix it?<\/a><\/p>\n The investments come as Houston begins charging a $5 monthly trash fee that will generate $24 million in the new budget year to help support the solid waste department\u2019s $134 million budget. The remainder of the department’s funding will come from the Combined Utility System, a move critics argue<\/a> diverts money from water, sewer and drainage infrastructure.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alice Liu, co-director of West Street Recovery, said the city’s capital investments should ultimately be judged by whether residents see better service.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “The easiest way to determine whether or not it’s working is just by looking at the actual quality of services and infrastructure that’s being provided,” Liu said.<\/p>\n City officials have repeatedly argued<\/a> that the new fee and budget restructuring will improve solid waste services, but they have offered few specifics about what will improve and how improvements will be measured.<\/p>\n Houston has struggled for years with missed trash and recycling pickups<\/a>, delayed yard waste collection<\/a>, illegal dumping<\/a> and low recycling performance<\/a>. Council members have questioned how the city plans to track progress after moving solid waste operations into the utility system.\u00a0<\/p>\n