City of Houston, Solid Waste Management unveil new recycling truck fleet to help with pickup delays

Houston unveils new recycling truck fleet

Mayor John Whitmire and Houston's Solid Waste Management Department unveiled nine new recycling trucks on Monday as part of a push to improve delayed recycling pickups across the city.

HOUSTON - Mayor John Whitmire and Houston's Solid Waste Management Department unveiled nine new recycling trucks on Monday as part of a push to improve delayed recycling pickups across the city. The trucks were displayed at the city's northeast service center. 

New recycling trucks in Houston

By the numbers:

The rollout is part of a $12.5 million investment in 31 new recycling trucks to replace the city's aging and frequently broken-down fleet. The new trucks are already hitting the streets, with the remaining 21 expected to be in service within the next two weeks.

In an effort to speed up deployment and save taxpayer money, Whitmire also announced the city skipped painting and branding the new trucks. 

"We didn’t even take time to paint them," said Whitmire. "We saved $3,000 per each truck that we didn’t paint." 

Residents complained of pickup delays

The backstory:

The purchase comes after months of complaints from Houston residents who said their recycling pickups were delayed for weeks with bins sitting full on the curb. 

"I understand the frustration of Houstonians over garbage pickup and the reliability of the recycling schedule," said Mayor Whitmire. 

Whitmire said the delays were largely due to mismanagement by the previous administration and a fleet filled with outdated, unreliable equipment. 

"I found a director that pointed out, any given day he would have 50 trucks in the repair shop because the City of Houston bought used trucks in recent years," said Mayor Whitmire. "We need 180 trucks on the roads each day, recycling, garbage pickup. If you have 50 in the shop because they are broken because somebody made a poor decision to buy used trucks, you buy other people’s problems."

What they're saying:

The city said the replacements are part of the city’s investment in better equipment to deliver better service. The new trucks will help improve curbside collections, reduce costly breakdowns, and provide safer, more reliable operations for crews.