The Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) spends a significant amount of money annually purchasing an average of 20,000 carts (garbage and recycling) to replace lost, stolen and/or damaged garbage and recycling carts. Those monies are currently not recovered from residents. The useful life of a typical City solid waste garbage or recycling container is about ten (10) years, which can increase depending on how the resident cares for his/her container as well as the quality of SWMD operator’s work.
To relieve the City of a portion of the cost of purchasing these carts, the SWMD recommends amending Chapter 39, Section 62 to include a fee to be assessed to residents needing to replace their garbage and/or recycling cart more frequently than once every 10 years. The initial fees would be $23.84 for the delivery or retrieval of cart; $40.14 for cart cleaning; and the actual contracted cost of the cart at the time of replacement. The current cost of a cart is $49.88.
To support this recommendation SWMD reviewed the 311 LAGAN cases regarding container related requests for past fiscal years. During this review, it was found that multiple residents requested replacement carts more than 10 separate times over two years.
In addition, SWMD has observed an ongoing trend of residents improperly acquiring additional garbage and/or recycling carts. When residents fail to properly enroll those carts in the extra capacity program, and pay the associated monthly fee, the extra material collected increases both collection and disposal costs for the City. When improperly acquired carts are identified there is an additional cost to SWMD in the retrieval and cleaning of those carts so that they may be reused. The recommended retrieval fee, and cart cleaning fee would offset this cost to the department.
The anticipated goal of this program will be for residents to take better care of City property and reduce the number of incidences of habitual reports of container replacements, and to recoup expenses for improperly acquired containers. The proposed changes were presented the Council Committee for Regulatory and Neighborhood Affairs on December 14, 2017. Citizens will be notified of these changes via Citizens Net; direct mail; Next Door and other social media; and by the SWMD Community Outreach team.
The SWMD therefore recommends approving an ordinance amending Chapter 39 of the Code of Ordinances, Houston, Texas, relating to responsibility for and establishing fees associated with replacement and retrieval of city solid waste containers. Proposed revisions to the existing ordinance: Amend Chapter 39, Section 62 by adding new Items (2) through (5). The related fees will be incorporated into the City Fee Schedule and subject the annual CPI adjustments. The amended Chapter 39, Section 62 will address the responsibility for maintaining City solid waste containers, the retrieval and cleaning of improperly acquired City Solid Waste Containers, and the fees associated with those activities.
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Harry J. Hayes, Director, Solid Waste Management Department