Tag Archives: recycling

El Paso’s wastewater recycling plant

Posted on March 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Dealing with our state’s water needs will require lots of different types of solutions. By 2028, El Pasoans will begin receiving water from a $295 million advanced water purification plant that will convert treated wastewater into drinking water, the first … Continue reading →

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Time for the annual Christmas tree recycling post

Posted on December 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the most wonderful post-Christmas Day post of the year. The City of Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) and Houston Parks and Recreation Department invite residents to recycle their live Christmas trees and contribute to a greener holiday season. … Continue reading →

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Recycle those Christmas lights

Posted on December 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Public service announcement: Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department has asked residents to recycle their discarded holiday lights in a very particular way. Instead of leaving them in a recycling bin, they are asked to bring them to either the Westpark … Continue reading →

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We return once again to the subject of a garbage fee

Posted on January 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe this is the time it happens. Maybe not. Who can say? For many residents, Houston’s unreliable garbage collection is a familiar issue — and it’s one that even the city’s newly elected mayor apparently must confront. In his inaugural … Continue reading →

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Time once again to recycle your Christmas tree

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Speaking of annual traditions… Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) encourages residents to recycle live Christmas trees after the holidays. This holiday season, assist the City of Houston in diverting landfill waste by repurposing your live Christmas tree into mulch … Continue reading →

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Harris County gets federal grant for its climate action plan

Posted on October 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. The U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday that it awarded Harris County one of 16 clean energy grants totaling $30 million, distributed to state and local governments nationwide. The Harris County grant of more than $1.6 million is the … Continue reading →

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On recycling cooking oil

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m always intrigued by stories like this. NRG Stadium is no stranger to fried food — like the booths upon booths of deep-fried desserts that line NRG Park during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, or the churros and corn … Continue reading →

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It’s time to recycle your Christmas tree

Posted on December 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re in the city of Houston and you want your tree to get mulched, here’s how to do it. Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) encourages residents to recycle live Christmas trees after the holidays. The holiday season is … Continue reading →

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We don’t love trash

Posted on December 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Especially not in the bayous. On a recent Saturday morning, around 20 volunteers gathered to clean up trash along the Houston Ship Channel. Armed with pickers and trash bags, they started tackling a small “trash beach” across the channel from … Continue reading →

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We don’t have enough garbage truck drivers

Posted on April 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We don’t pay them enough, it would seem. For the last few months, Juan Sorto and his neighbors have looked toward the curb on Thursdays and asked themselves the same uneasy question: Did the garbage trucks come? Last week, they had. … Continue reading →

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Why your recycling hasn’t been picked up yet

Posted on January 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Short answer: Staffing shortages, exacerbated by COVID. A staffing shortage in Houston’s solid waste management department is causing delayed and missed recycling pickups across the city, the agency confirmed. The Solid Waste Management Department is trying to fill 45 vacancies … Continue reading →

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Get ready to compost

Posted on November 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I hope this expands in the near future. The city launched a composting pilot program Wednesday, opening three sites where residents can drop off compost-friendly waste that otherwise would wind up in a landfill. The hope is the program will … Continue reading →

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Once again, please pay some attention to the Railroad Commissioner race

Posted on August 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It does matter. The Republican candidate running to join the Texas oil and gas regulatory agency has run afoul of state environmental rules and is embroiled in a series of lawsuits accusing him of fraud in the oil patch. Jim … Continue reading →

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Please allow me to turn your attention to the Railroad Commissioner race for a moment

Posted on August 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Because there’s a serious issue with one of the candidates, and this sort of thing never gets the attention it deserves. There is a glaring conflict of interest with Jim Wright, the Republican candidate running for Texas Railroad Commissioner, the … Continue reading →

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Council adopts recycling bin fee

Posted on May 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From last week: Beginning in July, Houston residents will find a new $1.14 fee on their monthly water bills for leasing the city’s garbage and recycling bins. A divided city council voted 8-6, with three members absent, to pass the … Continue reading →

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Christmas tree recycling 2019

Posted on January 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

For your last act of Christmas 2019, here’s how to dispose of your tree. Twenty-five recycling centers in the Houston area will take your Christmas trees. All city recycling facilities will take trees through Jan. 25. All you have to … Continue reading →

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Revitalizing recycling

Posted on May 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is encouraging. On Monday, bipartisan legislation designed to help offset the sapped demand for recyclables abroad cleared a final legislative hurdle at the Texas Capitol. Senate Bill 649, which passed the Senate last month on a 21-10 vote, cleared … Continue reading →

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Curbside glass recycling is back

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray! Houston residents can resume putting glass in their curbside recycling bins, city officials said Thursday at the opening of a recycling facility in northeast Houston. The new plant, outfitted with advanced technology including a glass cleanup system, is operated … Continue reading →

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Another look at the state of recycling

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

One part supply, one part demand. Reducing contamination is largely considered the starting point for creating a more stable U.S. recycling market. And that means teaching consumers what they can and cannot put in recycling bins. For example, a triangle … Continue reading →

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The recycling recession

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not good. A joint report by the trade groups American Chemistry Council and Association of Plastic Recyclers estimated that plastic bottle recycling decreased 3.6 percent last year, dipping to 2.8 billion pounds in 2017. The decrease is partially due to … Continue reading →

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It’s tree-recycling time

Posted on December 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s what you need to know. You have nearly three weeks to do this. Don’t miss out.

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The long range plan for municipal waste

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Something you probably missed (I know I did) from recent City Council action. Last week Houston City Council voted to hire a company that will help local officials create and adopt a long-range waste and recycling plan. This wasn’t all … Continue reading →

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Council approves new recycling deal

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Huzzah! Houston residents are set to have their used glass and plastic bags picked up for recycling at curbside, but not until next year. The 20-year, $37 million agreement City Council approved Wednesday is the product of two years of wrangling over recycling and … Continue reading →

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Recycling deal held up again

Posted on December 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll take Unexpected Effects of Hurricane Harvey for $200, Alex. A 20-year, $37 million recycling deal for Houston is in limbo after City Controller Chris Brown said his office was not prepared to sign off on the proposal, citing concerns … Continue reading →

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Curbside recycling will resume November 13

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray! Houstonians stockpiling cardboard and aluminum cans, rejoice: the city will resume curbside recycling service next month. Recycling service has been suspended since Aug. 30, when city waste crews dropped all efforts other than weekly trash pickup to focus on … Continue reading →

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Curbside recycling is coming back

Posted on October 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Because most of the Harvey debris has been picked up. Win all around. Houstonians who have been dragging their overflowing recycling bins to the curb every other week only to roll them back again untouched finally should have their cartons … Continue reading →

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EcoHub sues over OneBin failure

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

All right. Continuing the saga that has unfolded at City Hall — in which City Council members have said a deal with one company “smelled,” and in which another company, EcoHub, claims Mayor Sylvester Turner snubbed him out of the … Continue reading →

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Rebidding reycling

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Do-over! Pummeled by procurement concerns on a 20-year curbside recycling contract, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Friday he will seek a new round of proposals from the four final bidders. Turner had met with small groups of City Council members Thursday … Continue reading →

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Recycling deal gets a rough reception at Council

Posted on July 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Feisty. Houston City Council members blasted a proposed 20-year recycling deal Tuesday, questioning the $48 million price tag, the process by which the winning bidder was chosen and Turner administration officials’ reluctance to share information about the deal. The proposal … Continue reading →

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Mayor introduces new recycling deal

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There’s some stuff to like in this, and there are also questions to be answered. The city would send all 65,000 tons of bottles, cans and boxes its citizens recycle each year to a new processing facility to be built … Continue reading →

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More options for glass recycling

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Through a new partnership with Strategic Materials Inc., North America’s largest glass recycler, the City of Houston is able to offer residents a more convenient way to recycle glass. “Since the removal of glass from the City’s … Continue reading →

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On recycling glass

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure about this. Considered only in terms of the city’s short-term budget and Waste Management’s profits, perhaps the decision to stop recycling glass makes sense. But it wasn’t popular at the symposium, which was hosted by UH’s Center for … Continue reading →

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Hauling Glass

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

In times of change, there are always opportunities to do well. Where some saw rubbish, 8-year-old Pan Berlanga saw opportunity. He launched his first business after the city of Houston and Waste Management in March negotiated a new recycling contract … Continue reading →

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Recycling officially re-upped

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

That new recycling agreement with Waste Management was on Council’s agenda yesterday. Here’s a reminder of what it was about. Originally, Houston was to ink a four-year deal with Waste Management, paying a $95-per-ton processing fee, a nearly 50 percent … Continue reading →

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