Tag Archives: solid waste

Recycling cartons

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

More curbside recycling options. Houstonians accustomed to throwing out glossy cardboard cartons of milk, juice, soup and others foods and beverages now can send them to the curb in a green container for recycling. The Carton Council, a consortium of … Continue reading →

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The Trib writes about One Bin For All

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Mostly familiar information if you’ve been following this story, but a good overview if it’s new to you. Laura Spanjian, Houston’s director of sustainability, says the city is spending millions to expand its conventional recycling service and is still evaluating … Continue reading →

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The next wave of curbside recycling

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From last week, some good news for those of who that still don’t have the 96-gallon wheeled recycling bins. Houston will roll out its biweekly, automated curbside recycling service to 70,000 additional residences throughout the city just in time for … Continue reading →

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If you want your trash to be collected

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s best to put your trash can where the automated pickup arm can get it. Last year, at least 9,000 trash cans in the city were left uncollected at some point, according to records kept by the city, a small … Continue reading →

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City seeks One Bin For All RFQs

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Calling all vendors. The city of Houston took a step forward on its “One Bin for All” project this week. The project would allow residents to discard trash and recyclables in one bin to be sorted at a new $100 … Continue reading →

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Collecting compost from restaurants

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Austin takes another step on its path towards zero waste. Austin restaurants and other food businesses will have to compost food scraps starting in 2016, under new rules the City Council OK’d Thursday. Food service businesses — … Continue reading →

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City response on “One Bin For All”

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, I asked several environmental groups for feedback on the city’s One Bin For All proposal. I said I would follow up on that with the city. I have their response here, but before I get to it I … Continue reading →

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What other environmental groups think about “One Bin For All”

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, last week the city announced that it had won the $1 million runnerup prize from the Bloomberg Foundation that would enable it to begin work on a single-bin solution for solid waste and recycling. While this announcement … Continue reading →

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Not everyone likes the One Bin solution

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Texas Campaign for the Environment vowed today to mobilize Houstonians against Mayor Annise Parker’s so-called “One Bin for All” proposal, saying that the scheme will take recycling away from the minority of residents who already have it, … Continue reading →

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Houston wins $1 million runnerup Bloomberg prize

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Mayor’s office: Mayor Annise Parker today announced that Houston’s One Bin for All idea is one of the five winners in the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge, a competition to inspire American cities to generate innovative ideas that solve … Continue reading →

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Vote for Houston in the Mayor’s Challenge final

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the HuffPo: Vote below for your favorite idea among the 20 Mayors Challenge finalists! Voting is open from February 20 through March 6. The Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge is a competition designed to inspire America’s mayors to generate innovative … Continue reading →

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Curbside composting

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Way to go, Austin. City officials are asking Austinites in 7,900 households in five parts of the city to separate their banana peels, egg shells, meat, chicken bones, milk cartons, leaves and any other organic material from their household trash … Continue reading →

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We need infrastructure, yes we do

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

But paying for it is often a problem. That doesn’t work very well for a chant, I’m afraid. The American Society of Civil Engineers Houston branch assessed the structural and economic viability of roads, transit, solid waste, wastewater and drinking … Continue reading →

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“One Bin For All” in the running for prize money

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This happened before the election, which now seems as a remote a time as the 19th century. Houston is one of 20 finalist cities from among the 305 nationwide that applied for a $5 million grant from the Bloomberg Philanthropies … Continue reading →

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Tyson Sowell: Making Plans for a Brighter Future

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. In my previous article, I talked about the phasing out of single-use check-out bags being just one step the City needs … Continue reading →

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Tyson Sowell: The Problem of Single-Use Bags

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. On Wednesday, June 20, Houston City Council approved a budget amendment to “address littering by plastic bags or phasing out plastic … Continue reading →

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Going green to save some green

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Houston has made significant investments in energy savings. The U.S. Conference of Mayors named Mayor Annise Parker the winner of Mayors’ Climate Protection Award last year for green building initiatives that incentivize conservation and energy-efficient design features. … Continue reading →

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Compost recycling in San Antonio

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And now that I’ve mentioned compost recycling, here’s a look at how it’s working in San Antonio. At New Earth’s composting site off Interstate 10 on the far East Side, it is easy to pick out the pile generated by … Continue reading →

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Growing the recycling economy

Posted on December 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

November 15 was National Recycling Day – you may recall it as the day that Houston announced a program to bring recycling to apartments – and on that day the BlueGreen Alliance put out a report on growing the recycling … Continue reading →

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Trash into treasure

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Waste Management Inc. is looking at ways to turn trash into energy, which is the next best thing to actual treasure. “In my mind, it’s pretty simple why we’re doing it: If we don’t figure it out, somebody is, and … Continue reading →

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Composting

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Austin is looking for more ways to reduce the amount of solid waste that it puts in landfills. Aiming to cut down the waste that Austinites send to landfills, the City of Austin is sponsoring free composting … 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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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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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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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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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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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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Don’t mess with Bill

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As everyone expected, Mayor White has stayed the heck out of the race to replace him. So it’s a pretty big deal when he feels compelled to speak up about something that is happening in the race. Mayor Bill White … 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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Trash day

Posted on June 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You may have received a notice from the City of Houston that your trash collection day has changed. Here’s the email I got: In continuing efforts to improve service and maximize taxpayer dollars, we have re-routed select areas in North … Continue reading →

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