Houston offers in-person trash can pick up after 13 Investigates finds thousands requesting one
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Kathy Smith said she was watching ABC13 Friday morning when she saw a story about the City of Houston's "Can Blitz," where residents who need a new or replacement trash or recycling bin can pick one up in person.
"I have my (311) case number and everything else, but they never did deliver a trash can, so when I saw this on the news this morning, that was a blessing," Smith told 13 Investigates after driving through the pick-up line for a new bin. "I'm in the process of doing some work, so I need the trash can. I really need it to be able to throw all the trash in there, get it picked up, fill it back up again, get it picked up, do it all over again, so this trash can means a lot to me."
Last Friday, 13 Investigates reported on the thousands of Houstonians who had submitted requests to 311 for new bins this year but were still waiting on them.
Residents we spoke with last week told us they were using their neighbors' bins or dropping their trash off at family members in another city while they waited for a new bin from the City of Houston, which offers free trash services.
Those residents told us they would be willing to pick up their replacement bins themselves. That wasn't an option when we interviewed Houston Mayor John Whitmire on Wednesday, but he told us he was exploring options to make that happen.
Thank you and Channel 13 for bringing it to our attention.Houston Mayor John Whitmire
"Thank you and Channel 13 for bringing it to our attention," Whitmire said.
Exactly one week after our investigation aired, the City of Houston held its first "Can Blitz," where residents could pick one up themselves.
"It's an amazing day for us in Solid Waste Management. Mayor Whitmire challenged us less than 48 hours ago to go all-hands-on deck for me and my staff to come up with a way that we can actually better serve our citizens with the can replacement program," City of Houston Solid Waste Director Larius Hassen said Friday afternoon. "A lot of them were thankful that we came up with the idea so that they can come by and pick up a can that they've been waiting on for months at times."
The City says residents can pick up a trash or recycling can themselves between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month at one of three locations.
The pick-up locations are at the Solid Waste distribution centers at 5711 Eastex Freeway Feeder Road and 1506 Central Street, as well as at the Environmental Service Center at 11500 South Post Oak Road.
Residents will be required to provide a copy of their water bill for address verification as well as their 311 service request number. Residents who are replacing a can are asked to bring their damaged can to receive the replacement. Residents who want a second can as part of the Add-A-Can program are not eligible for pick-up.
The city says it will continue to deliver bins to anyone who puts in a request with 311 and cannot pick one up themselves.
Less than 24 hours after Mayor Whitmire announced the Can Blitz on Thursday afternoon, Solid Waste employees were eager to help residents. They told ABC13 there was already a line of people waiting for a can by the time the distribution centers opened at 8 a.m. Friday.
By 1 p.m. that afternoon, Solid Waste workers said they had already distributed about 40 cans at each of the three locations.
I'm very grateful for your story and the mayor, and just that I'm able to take care of this so quickly.Martha Hoffman
Martha Hoffman went to pick up a can on Friday afternoon after she said she reported her missing bin to 311 three weeks ago. She said she learned about the event from ABC13.
"I'm very grateful for your story and the mayor, and just that I'm able to take care of this so quickly," she said.
Forrest Pfaab said he has been without a can for four months and has been asking friends to take his trash.
"We have two cats and that's just, you know, having to deal with litter boxes, begging friends for us to, anytime we would come and visit, dropping off a trash bag. It's just a weird way to live," Pfaab said.
Hassen, who took over as director of Solid Waste this summer, said after a review of services, the department is rebuilding many outdated systems from the ground up.
"I will hope to have everything done between the six and nine-month timeframe, whereas residents can actually see a difference in our services that we render," he said.
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