Houston considers waste and recycling collection fee

To improve services and better meet the needs of the community, Houston leaders are considering implementing a fee for the collection of waste and recycling, Click2Houston reports.

Mike Wilfalk, director of Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD), believes a fee system will help the department, calling for a need to “right-size” or restructure the department so it can eliminate delayed service and make a profit more efficiently.

Wilfalk has hired a third-party consultant to assist with crafting a workable proposed fee. The fee, likely collected on a monthly schedule, would go toward making the department more self-sufficient in terms of revenue. To generate additional revenue, he is looking at increasing service to commercial customers, including apartment complexes, according to the report.

Many large cities charge a fee for waste collection, including Dallas, which raised the fee to $37.98 a month for homeowners at the end of 2023.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire indicated the conversation over a fee are still in early stages.

“Mayor Whitmire agrees the city of Houston SWMD needs to provide reliable service to Houstonians," the mayor's Director of Communications Mary Benton says in a statement. "On the issue of additional money, several Houstonians and officials have asked for consideration of a plan. It is a developing issue that has been discussed, but there are no immediate plans."