Houston council hears Solid Waste Department plan to shrink response times, shore up recycling and staffing in FY26 budget

Interim Solid Waste Director Larry Hasson presented the Solid Waste Department's proposed fiscal 2026 budget to the Houston City Council, saying the plan would reduce overall expenditures while raising service targets for on‑time collections, illegal‑dumping response and neighborhood drop‑off wait times.

Hasson said the department expects a 9% reduction in expenditures across its three funds, with the general fund down about 5%, the recycling revenue fund down about 14% and the container lease fund down about 18%. He told council members the budget assumes savings tied to a voluntary retirement payout option that reduced payroll by about $2.4 million so far and that additional late takers will increase savings further.

The presentation laid out specific operational targets: boosting heavy trash on‑time collection from roughly 75% to 90%; improving illegal‑dumping response from about 21 days to a 10‑day target; cutting residential drop‑off wait times from about 30 minutes to 15 minutes; and raising yard‑waste on‑time collection from roughly 26% to a 75% target in FY26. "Our goal is to respond to all those calls in 45 minutes," Hasson said about vehicle‑spill responses.

Why it matters

Council members and public commenters flagged recycling and landfill capacity as budget priorities with long‑term cost implications. Several council members pressed for concrete staffing, contractor and revenue details they said are needed to judge whether the targets are feasible. Public speakers and an environmental group urged the council to consider a municipal trash fee to provide sustainable funding for service improvements and diversion programs.

Key details from the presentation

- Staffing and restructure: Hasson said department…