City of Houston breaks ground on transfer station

The city of Houston Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new waste transfer station in northeast Houston. Full-time construction tied to the $13.5 million project is expected to begin this November.

Houston City Council approved the transfer station’s construction in March 2021, responding in part to complaints from neighborhoods described by the city as being “plagued by illegal dumping.”

The 24,200-square-foot facility is being designed to handle up to 1,000 tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) per day. The SWMD says the transfer station will improve the department’s operational efficiencies, reduce the environmental impacts of route collection vehicles and improve the service delivery of curbside collection by providing an outlet for collection vehicles to quickly discard materials collected from surrounding neighborhoods.

“This highly anticipated project will not only enhance the efficiency of waste disposal but also bring about substantial benefits to residents with more route coverage, improved on-time collection and faster turnaround times for trucks to return to their routes,” says Mark Wilfalk, director of the SWMD.

Houston-based Christensen Building Group LLC is the construction contractor for the facility while Rena Architects Inc. has provided the design.

“As evidenced by the One Clean Houston initiative and the development of this state-of-the-art waste management facility, the city of Houston is committed to advancing its solid waste management system," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says.