Houston city council OKs $5.9M for new garbage trucks, solid waste vehicles

The city long has grappled with labor shortages and an aging garbage and recycling fleet . The city long has grappled with labor shortages and an aging garbage and recycling fleet . Photo: Godofredo A. Vásquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Photo: Godofredo A. Vásquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Houston city council OKs $5.9M for new garbage trucks, solid waste vehicles 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Houston city council on Wednesday approved the $5.9 million purchase of 32 new vehicles for the city's Solid Waste Management Department, a move that comes amid complaints about the frequency of trash pickup and recent evidence of employees mixing trash and recyclables.

The bulk of the purchase -- about $4 million -- will go toward 14 standard garbage trucks, with another $285,000 funding a new recycling truck. The city will spend the remaining funds on a range of vehicles, such as grappling and roll-off trucks, used for various waste management functions.

The city has struggled of late with labor shortages and an aging garbage and recycling fleet, creating recent headaches for Mayor Sylvester Turner.

The mayor began his re-election year by securing council approval to hire a private company to help with a backlog in curbside pickup.

PROP B: The firefighter layoff has officially been rescinded.

Turner called the new trucks "a step in the right direction" to help stem the city's trash collection woes. He noted that the city's solid waste fleet relies on vehicles long overdue for replacement.

"They can only withstand their wear and tear for so long," he said.

Last year, the city spent $14.6 million on 69 new trucks, though not all have arrived yet.

The mayor told reporters the city is "implementing a systemic plan to replace the fleet over a three- to five-year period," but did not elaborate.

In late April, an investigation published by KHOU showed a city garbage truck driver mixing trash and recyclables in a single bin, a violation of city policy. Another video emerged soon after showing a driver dumping an entire load of recycling material into a city garbage facility.

Turner responded by calling for an internal investigation into the matter.

jasper.scherer@chron.com