Tag Archives: recycling

Here are the vetoes

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Sunday was the deadline for Rick Perry to sign, veto, or leave unsigned all of the remaining bills from the regular legislative session. He had 1170 pieces of legislation awaiting a decision while he was busy gallivanting around the country. … Continue reading →

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When winning means not getting pulverized

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

By that measure, this was a good session for environmentalists. For environmental activists, the legislative session looked to be a grim one as it got under way in January. Keen on regulating businesses, they had feared that a body empowered … Continue reading →

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Deal to sell Center Street recycling center delayed

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to the Convention Center deal, the proposed sale of the Center Street recycling facility for $2 million was also on Council’s agenda for Wednesday. Two years ago the city had planned to sell the center and relocate it … Continue reading →

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TV recycling redux

Posted on May 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Back in 2009, the Lege passed a bill that would have required television manufacturers that sell TVs in Texas to set up a recycling program for old sets. This was modeled after similar legislation passed in 2007 for computers and … Continue reading →

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For a bottle deposit

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t know that there were bills to create a deposit on beverage bottles and cans in the Lege, but I agree with the Chron editorial board that such a thing would be a good idea. The bottle bill would … Continue reading →

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Center Street recycling center for sale?

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Looks to be that way. Back in 2009, the city contemplated selling the site to Admiral Linen next door, and opening a new recycling center on Spring Street in the First Ward. See here, here, and here for background. The … Continue reading →

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On garbage fees and single stream recycling

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You might have seen this blurb a few days ago about Solid Waste director Harry Hayes making a pitch to Mayor Parker to expand single stream recycling to every home in Houston: To reach 100 percent, Hayes told City Council … Continue reading →

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South Padre Island joins the bag banning brigade

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That didn’t take long. Buoyed by a weeks-old law in nearby Brownsville, South Padre Island leaders Wednesday made the vacation hot spot the next Texas town to restrict the use of single-use plastic bags. The unanimously approved prohibition against using … Continue reading →

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No more plastic bags in Brownsville

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It will be very interesting to see how this plays out. The eyes of retail will be on Brownsville this week as the city forges ahead as the first in Texas to ban single-use plastic bags. The ordinance against the … Continue reading →

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Recycle that tree!

Posted on January 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

If you live in the city of Houston and have a natural Christmas tree, you can simply put it out for curbside recycling. If you need to deal with it before then, here are your options: Those who don’t want to … Continue reading →

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Recycling for apartments

Posted on December 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The city of San Antonio is taking a big step forward in expanding its recycling program. The new amendment ensures that all families and individuals living in apartments, condominiums, townhomes, high rise condominiums and San Antonio Housing Authority properties have … Continue reading →

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More single stream recycling

Posted on December 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I love seeing this program get expanded. The city is expanding by 30,000 the number of households that can participate in its single-stream recycling program, which soon is expected to reach more than one out of every four Houston homes. … Continue reading →

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Laura Spanjian

Posted on September 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Laura Spanjian, the new Director of the city’s sustainability office. She has some ambitious goals. Most ambitious, but most important, to Spanjian is getting every Houstonian access to single-stream, curbside-pickup recycling. You may have heard happy tales of those … Continue reading →

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Compostable bag update

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The city has decided to not begin fining people just yet for not using the new biodegradable bags for yard waste. I agree that most people just need clear instructions and reasonably durable bags to do this, and I’m glad … Continue reading →

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Computer recycling

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As a state, we do a pretty lousy job of recycling old computers and computer components. Texas ranks last in recycling computer parts among states that require manufacturers to take back their electronics, according to a report by an Austin … Continue reading →

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Recycling pilot project update

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, Monday was the day that the new compostable bag ordinance went into effect. It was also the day that the city’s automated recycling program was to be extended to many more houses. From a story in the … Continue reading →

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How about a plastic bag tax?

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

A number of cities have adopted or considered adding a small tax to plastic bags as a means to raise a little money and cut down on landfill waste. Kevin Drum notes the experience of the Washington, DC nickel-per-bag tax, … Continue reading →

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More recycling coming

Posted on February 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. The city is poised to expand its automated recycling program to an additional 50,000 households, allowing roughly 1 in 5 Houstonians the opportunity to put paper, plastic, soda cans and glass into one wheeled trash-can-sized bin instead of … Continue reading →

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Biodegradable bag requirement postponed

Posted on January 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Implementation of the new city ordinance requiring biodegradable bags for yard waste has been pushed back until April. The new start date is April 5, which is after the last major fall of leaves for the season, said Harry Hayes, … Continue reading →

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Recycle that tree redux

Posted on January 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The City of Houston has set the example to follow. Stripped of holiday finery and misshapen after a Christmas Eve wind gust clipped off its top, Houston’s official City Hall Christmas tree unceremoniously was chopped, chipped and shipped off to … Continue reading →

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Yard waste

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I hadn’t realized that an ordinance requiring bbiodegradable bags for yard waste had been passed, but I like it. Under the ordinance, the city will not collect yard waste in plastic bags, and will fine residents up to $2,000 for … Continue reading →

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Recycle that tree

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We have had an artificial tree for the past few years, so this story about where and how to recycle your Christmas tree isn’t relevant to our household, but it may be to yours. There’s no good reason for a … Continue reading →

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Still more on the Heights recycling center

Posted on November 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall that the city had proposed selling the neighborhood recycling center on Center Street to the Admiral Linen business next door, and that this move was opposed by residents in the area. The city is still considering this … Continue reading →

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Recycling pays

Posted on October 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever works. City leaders announced [last] Tuesday a partnership with RecycleBank, a New York-based company that rewards residents with points for the amount of recycling they put out for the city to collect. The points, akin to frequent flier miles, … Continue reading →

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Interview with Council Member Wanda Adams

Posted on September 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Next up is Council Member Wanda Adams, who is finishing up her first term in District D. Adams was an employee of the city who was the Go Green coordinator at the time of her election in 2007, and she … Continue reading →

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Environment Texas scorecard

Posted on August 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Environment Texas scorecard (PDF) for the 2009 legislative session. A few points of interest: – There were seven scored voted for Senators, and eight for the House. For all but two, the “right” vote was Yes, which is … Continue reading →

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More on the Heights recycling center

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’d been wondering what the deal was with the proposal to move the neighbhorhood recycling location from Center Street to somewhere in the First Ward when I heard about it last week. There was supposed to be a town hall … Continue reading →

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District H Town Hall meeting

Posted on July 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

From Inside Central Houston: A Town Hall Meeting on “Proposed Center Street Recycle Center Relocation” will be 6 – 8 p.m. July 6 at the West End Multi-Service Center, 170 Heights Blvd. It will be hosted by District H Houston … Continue reading →

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Cork recycling

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Isiah Carey asks “Have you ever heard of cork recycling?” I’ve heard of bottle recycling, plastic recycling, and even computer recycling but never cork recycling. Apparently, some Houston area liquor stores are on a campaign to recycle corks from wine … Continue reading →

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Compost or else

Posted on June 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Go, San Francisco! Trash collectors in San Francisco will soon be doing more than just gathering garbage: They’ll be keeping an eye out for people who toss food scraps out with their rubbish. San Francisco this week passed a mandatory … Continue reading →

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Council Member Gonzalez

Posted on June 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Now that he has been officially sworn in to represent District H, new City Council Member Ed Gonzalez has hit the ground running. He was called upon by City Councilwoman Sue Lovell to speak first about the death of Officer … Continue reading →

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Once more with the vetoes

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Governor Perry explains why he vetoed legislation to improve ethics in Harris County. “I was never for that bill. Now, there may have been some people on my staff who were of a different mind,” Perry said, responding to a … Continue reading →

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And here are the vetoes

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full list, with links to statements about individual bills, here’s his press release, and here’s his budget statement. A few points of interest: – Perry wimped out and allowed HB770, the Wayne Christian Homestead Bill, to become law … Continue reading →

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Recycle thyself

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose I had assumed that the city of Houston was already collecting recyclables separately from trash. Apparently, that was not the case, but it will be now. The Solid Waste Management Department has implemented programs at breakneck speed to … Continue reading →

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