Ask any long time Houstonian what they want improved in city services, and better trash pick up is likely one of the top complaints.
Ask any long time Houstonian what they want improved in city services, and better trash pick up is likely one of the top complaints.Ask any long-time Houstonian what they want improved in city services, and better trash pick up is likely one of the top complaints.
That's especially true for residents of Jackson Court in Houston's East End. Janie Gonzalez has lived in her home for 53 years, and she says, with all seriousness, that the heavy trash pickup is the worst she's ever experienced. "We need to see this neighborhood to be clean," she said. "Clean, you know! They said 2 or 3 months ago, they bought a lot of trucks, and we haven't seen anything." In front of Gonzalez's home are two months' worth of heavy trash that still has not been picked up. Down the street, neighbors have tree debris and old furniture piled on the curb, where all remain untouched. Normally, the city of Houston alternates monthly pickups, with one month dedicated to heavy trash and the next to tree debris. However, pickup has been late across the city. In Gonzalez's neighborhood, both types of trash are piling up, despite residents having called 311 to complain. "We know at this moment that heavy trash is behind, it's bad service at the end of the day, but we are working to address it," Joaquin Martinez, a council member for District I, which includes the Jackson Court neighborhood, said. Martinez says the city's current pickup schedule is not efficient, because only a quarter of homes have heavy trash on a monthly basis, yet trucks must drive down every street, looking for debris to pick up. He says heavy trash pick up should only go where it's needed, so he's working on a pilot program where you can call for the service. "What we want to do is a pilot program, starting at the beginning of the year. Where individuals can call, 'Hey, we have heavy trash, and within a week,'" he says. "We're still working on it, but we do have the technology, and we need to start using it. " Gonzalez was excited to hear about the pilot program launching in her neighborhood. But whether it's a new program or an old one, her main complaint is that someone needs to pick up the trash. "Everywhere you go, you go that side, it's the same thing. I don't think it's fair. It's not fair to have all that trash here." Martinez says he hopes to have the pilot program up and running in District I early next year. If it improves efficiency, he hopes it can roll out to the rest of the city.
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