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One of the City of Houston\u2019s new recycling truck makes it\u2019s rounds in the Heights in Houston, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025.<\/p>\n
Jill Karnicki\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston recycles less of its waste and struggles with higher contamination rates than other major Texas cities, yet Mayor John Whitmire\u2019s newly approved budget does not include benchmarks for improving in either area despite charging a new fee for waste services.<\/p>\n
The new $5 monthly fee is part of a broader budget restructuring<\/a> that city officials say will provide more stable funding and improve efficiency in the long-struggling Solid Waste\u00a0Management Department, but environmental advocates argue Houston must make up for years of underinvestment in the department and its recycling program if it hopes to divert as much waste from landfills as peer cities.<\/p>\n \u201cThe recycling program is not getting the attention it needs,\u201d said Luke Metzger, Executive Director of Environment Texas. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of a second class citizen when it comes to the waste department.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n EXCLUSIVE: Mayor Whitmire to propose Houston’s first-ever trash fee to help tackle $174M deficit<\/a><\/p>\n Houston’s recycling problem is significant \u2014 only about 18% of its waste is recycled, according to city estimates<\/a>, compared to a statewide recycling rate of 23%<\/a>, and a national rate of 32%<\/a>.<\/p>\n Houston’s recycling contractor\u00a0said<\/a> 42% of the material residents place in their green recycling bins contains nonrecyclable items and contaminants such as batteries, plastic bags and food waste. Other major Texas cities like Austin<\/a> and San Antonio<\/a> report contamination rates of about 20%, and industry groups estimate the national contamination rate at between 15% and 25%.<\/p>\n Houston Public Works Director Randy Macchi told city council at a May budget hearing that he would return later this summer with \u201ca much more refined set\u201d of performance measures<\/a> for waste services.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Whitmire\u2019s new budget moves the solid waste department into the city utility system within Houston Public Works, funding it through water bill revenues and the new fee rather than the city\u2019s general fund, which is fed mostly by property and sales taxes.\u00a0<\/p>\n The city did not respond to questions about its recycling program. Whitmire\u2019s office has not responded to a request for comment from the Houston Chronicle since August 2025.<\/p>\n DATA ANALYSIS: Houston struggles with trash pickup more than other Texas cities. Here\u2019s what 311 data shows<\/a><\/p>\n Advocates say the budget\u2019s missing benchmarks raise questions about whether the city’s overhaul of the solid waste department will improve a program that has struggled with on-time pickups and public confusion over what can be recycled.\u00a0<\/p>\n The city needs to do more to educate residents on what happens after they place material in recycling bins, why contamination can cause recyclable material to be sent to a landfill and how an effective recycling program helps the community, Savage said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to get down to the nuts and bolts of helping people understand what happens downstream and how it provides economic vitality in the local community regarding job growth and building a stronger reputation for the city of Houston,\u201d Savage said. \u201cHouston needs to green up its reputation.\u201d<\/p>\n The city council on Wednesday approved a budget amendment from Council Member Martha Castex-Tatum allocating $250,000 from the new monthly fee to recycling audits, education and outreach aimed at reducing contamination.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to do a better job of making sure residents know what can be recycled and what can\u2019t be recycled,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n INTERACTIVE: Explore Houston’s 2027 budget: See where your tax dollars would go.<\/a><\/p>\n Public education campaigns have worked before \u2014 the city\u2019s contamination rate briefly fell to 36% when crews used a tagging program to identify improperly filled recycling carts, officials from FCC Environmental Services, the city\u2019s recycling contractor, told council members during a May committee meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n FCC officials said contamination creates operational and financial problems. Batteries and propane tanks can spark fires. Hoses and wires can jam equipment. Food waste and plastic bags can make material unusable.\u00a0<\/p>\n The company estimated contamination cost the city nearly $2.5 million in lost revenue in 2025.<\/p>\n Missing benchmarks<\/p>\n The $7.5 billion budget the council passed Wednesday is a break from previous years, when the solid waste budget tracked recycling and contamination rates.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last year\u2019s solid waste budget presentation estimated Houston\u2019s recycling rate at 16% and set a goal of increasing it to 18% in the current fiscal year that ends June 30.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Those same kinds of recycling benchmarks do not appear in the new budget. The document instead includes a target of about 165,500 curbside recycling stops completed each week \u2013\u00a0 tracking collection activity, not whether more material is recycled.\u00a0<\/p>\n