Houston residents pressed the Houston City Council on Jan. 7 about persistent delays in heavy-trash, recycling and yard-waste pickup that left piles of debris on curbs for weeks across multiple neighborhoods.

Neighbors, civic leaders and several council members said the delays peaked after the holidays and a storm, and that a lack of predictable schedules and clear public communication made the problem worse. "It was 22 days late to pick up heavy trash in Montrose," said Jack Valensky, a resident who told the council the backlog made the city look bad and created safety and nuisance problems. Becky Edmonson, president of the Westbury Area Improvement Corporation, said her group counted 1,235 Westbury homes with heavy trash at the curb and that residents had left materials out through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.

The complaints prompted multiple council members to call for an immediate, citywide sweep using additional contractors and to press for clearer resident communications. Councilmember Pollard urged spending to temporarily “supplement solid waste” with private contractors to get the city completely cleared, saying the service gap was unacceptable for the nation’s fourth-largest city. Vice Mayor Pro Tem Castix Tatum and others said trucks were diverted to districts that had been missed for months and that the diversion caused a ripple of missed pickups elsewhere.

The administration and Solid Waste officials told council they have activated additional contractors and crews. Solid Waste reported that, in the past two and a half weeks, contractors removed 27,531 cubic yards of material from residents and that "the contractors currently have 15 additional trucks in the field and more will be coming," with crews working six days a week and an effort to continue for the next three months to get caught up. Council members and residents also said reporting through 311 produced inconsistent results and frustrated callers.

Councilmembers discussed longer-term changes. Several referenced an outside review by Burns & McDonnell (the Burns & McDonnell study) assessing Solid Waste operations and potential funding methods; the consultant's first draft had not been released as of the meeting. Councilmember Martinez and others said the city has added collection responsibility in recent years and that the study's findings will be used to shape future service levels and possible user fees. Councilmember Kamen urged caution about reducing recycling and diversion without accounting for landfill capacity and long-term costs.

Residents and neighborhood leaders repeatedly asked for predictability and better communication: if a route is delayed, they said, give a clear expected date rather than vague notices. Several speakers representing Westbury and other neighborhoods offered to join a task force or working group to share data and coordinate solutions.

The council did not take a formal vote on a policy change during the Jan. 7 meeting. Officials said additional contractors and temporary resources are in the field immediately; Burns & McDonnell's report and a planned announcement about federal funding were described as forthcoming next steps.

Mayor Pro Tem and multiple council members invited residents to continue to report blocked intersections and missed pickups to their offices and promised follow-up on the consultant report and citywide cleanup timelines.