Friendship road residents demand action amid growing trash piles after city waste pickup delays

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Up and down Friendship Road and its neighboring streets, you'll find mounds of garbage, branches, and piles of pallets.

"I guess the best way to describe it is like a war zone," resident Doyle Hansel said.

Doyle Hansel said this neighborhood takes pride in its appearance. Usually, you'll find tidy lawns and trimmed trees, so the mess is causing quite a stir.

"They're frustrated. They're just frustrated they can't get nobody to do anything. Everybody pays their taxes like we're supposed to do and everything, and we're just not having any results," Hansel said.

Several neighbors tell ABC13 it's been over a month since the last time solid waste came through to pick up large debris.

The city picks up the large stuff you leave out every month. Odd-numbered months are for bulk waste, like old couches or dressers, and even-numbered months are for tree waste. That means the city should have cleaned up many of these piles in November, but neighbors say that never happened.

"We just need someone to come and pick it all up," Hansel said.

It's not just the eye sore Hansel worries about either. Critters are starting to camp out, and the front yards where children play are now full of planks with rust nails and old wire. It's a safety concern.

"When it's kind of trashed out, it's hard to do anything," Hansel said.

This problem is plaguing the whole subdivision. Just last week, ABC13 was over on Kempwood for the same issue, which persists today.

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