Houston residents will get a better understanding of how the new $5 administration fee for trash collection will be implemented in the coming weeks.
What this means
On May 18, Houston Public Works Director Randall Macchi presented the department’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget, which will absorb the Solid Waste Management department.
During the presentation, Macchi showed key performance indicators, which would use metrics to measure HPW’s success. Macchi added that the initial KPIs are output-based, rather than outcome-based.
KPIs for solid waste management are:
- Tons of heavy trash collected: 230,000
- Average number of weekly curbside recycling stops: 165,500
- Total drop-offs at waste collection sites: 67,000
- Tons of tree and yard waste collected: 18,300
- Total number of containers replaced or repaired: 19,200
“We’re going to come back to council within the next 60 days with some refined KPIs that are much more specific,” Macchi said.
Some background
On May 5, Mayor John Whitmire announced a $5 administrative fee for trash collection, which is expected to generate $24 million in revenue.
The fee will remain at $5 for two years and then increase by $5 increments until it reaches $25 by 2032. The city previously did not have a fee for trash collection.
What residents are saying
Felix Kapoor, with the Houston People’s Budget, said he was concerned that the city did not present any measures to make the fees affordable for low-income residents who are already dealing with water rate increases and other affordability issues.
“At today's workshop, Public Works offered no clear answers to these concerns,” Kapoor said. “Multi-billion dollar decisions deserve more than promises.”
What else
Houston will host a public hearing for the budget June 3. The FY 2026-27 budget is set to begin July 1.
