Tag Archives: recycling

RIP, One Bin For All

Posted on February 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It had a good run, but at the very least the timing was all wrong. The One Bin For All program would let Houstonians throw all trash in the same bin, to be separated for recycling later. The hope was … Continue reading →

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It’s hard out here on a recycler, part 4

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It was a bad year last year. Recycling continues to hurt Waste Management’s bottom line, as low oil prices and low commodity prices have made that a challenging business for at least the past year. The Houston company on Thursday … Continue reading →

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So what happened to One Bin for All?

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

KUHF asks the question. It has been almost three years since the city won a $1 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies for the One Bin For All concept, which would let Houstonians throw all their waste in one bin, to … Continue reading →

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Landfilling

Posted on October 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Really interesting story about a place most of us would not think to visit. The open face of the Atascocita landfill in Humble slopes downward, where trucks unload the cast-off scraps of daily life. Bulldozers spread the debris to a … Continue reading →

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It’s hard out here on a recycler, part 3

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A story in the WaPo about the ongoing struggles of the recycling business. Once a profitable business for cities and private employers alike, recycling in recent years has become a money-sucking enterprise. The District, Baltimore and many counties in between … Continue reading →

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It’s hard out here on a recycler, part 2

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As if they didn’t have enough to deal with. As low commodity prices have left recyclers short on cash to invest in technological upgrades, product manufacturers are coming out with new types of packaging that make business even tougher. These … Continue reading →

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It’s hard out here on a recycler

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Whole lot of not so good in there. When Waste Management bought the plant in 2010 and converted it to handle single-bin recycling, commodity prices were high, the city was on board and Houstonians were eager to recycle. As the … Continue reading →

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Still unclear where One Bin For All stands

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Your guess is as good as mine. The fate of the city’s cutting-edge “one bin” waste system that would feature a privately built, $100 million sorting facility is becoming increasingly uncertain, as sources familiar with the company proposals say there … Continue reading →

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2015 Mayoral manifesto: Quality of life and other issues

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Preliminaries Transportation Public safety A few quick hits on topics that didn’t fit elsewhere. Making Houston affordable again Remember when Houston was an inexpensive place to live? If you haven’t been here at least a decade – more like two … Continue reading →

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Saving money by throwing away less

Posted on January 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good strategy all around. As a committee mulls an ambitious and controversial “one bin” project that could overhaul recycling and waste collection in Houston, the city’s traditional mode of getting rid of trash just got cheaper. A renegotiated contract with … Continue reading →

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Rest of the single stream bins to be distributed

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

All Houston homes will be covered. All Houston residents who get city trash service will be able to roll their recyclables to the curb in 96-gallon green carts by the start of 2015, a milestone that has been years in … Continue reading →

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San Antonio has begun curbside recycling of plastic bags

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As of August 1, to be exact. “We are starting with a new recycling processor that can accept the bags so that allows us to add it to the list of items we can accept,” [Solid Waste Management Department Public … Continue reading →

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Chron on One Bin

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chronicle is ambivalent about the city’s One Bin for All proposal. Details of the One Bin For All recycling proposal aren’t even solid yet, but groups like the Sierra Club have already started to line up against it. This … Continue reading →

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It’s past time for a garbage fee

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, this. For years, Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department Director Harry Hayes has suggested the city implement a garbage fee to expand curbside recycling and pay for other initiatives. And for years, Mayor Annise Parker has demurred. Now, with a … Continue reading →

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One Bin For All RFPs

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday was a big day for the One Bin for All proposal. Thursday [was] the deadline for private companies to submit bids to the city to build and run the facility. The bid guidelines call for a 75 percent diversion … Continue reading →

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Another expansion of single stream recycling

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Annise Parker and Harry J. Hayes, Director of the Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD), are pleased to announce the addition of 62,000 to the City’s popular automated curbside recycling program. As part of the expansion, residents … Continue reading →

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Melanie Scruggs: Ways Houston can increase its recycling rate

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Note: From time to time, I solicit guest posts from various individuals on different topics. While I like to think I know a little something about a lot of things, I’m fortunate to be acquainted with a number of people … Continue reading →

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City issues One Bin RFPs

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Annise Parker today announced the issuance of a Request for Proposals and creation of an advisory committee for the One Bin for All waste management and diversion project. The City of Houston invites submittals from short-listed … Continue reading →

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SA City Council to begin the plastic bag debate

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I look forward to seeing what direction they go. City staffers Wednesday plan to recommend to the City Council’s Governance Committee that San Antonio move forward with a ban on single-use plastic and paper bags. The recommendation comes after vetting … Continue reading →

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Recycling cartons

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

More curbside recycling options. Houstonians accustomed to throwing out glossy cardboard cartons of milk, juice, soup and others foods and beverages now can send them to the curb in a green container for recycling. The Carton Council, a consortium of … Continue reading →

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The Trib writes about One Bin For All

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Mostly familiar information if you’ve been following this story, but a good overview if it’s new to you. Laura Spanjian, Houston’s director of sustainability, says the city is spending millions to expand its conventional recycling service and is still evaluating … Continue reading →

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San Antonio plastic bag ban update

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an update on the city of San Antonio’s effort to regulate plastic bag usage, which may include a ban. It’s written by San Antonio City Council member Cris Medina, who is the point person for the effort. Late last … Continue reading →

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Center Street recycling facility is closed

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

So says Swamplot. Multiple emails to a couple of Heights neighorhood mailing lists sounded the alarm as well. This has been a long time coming. Originally, it was supposed to have been closed at the end of 2012, but I … Continue reading →

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Recycle that cooking oil

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

A public service announcement from the city. The holidays are upon us and that means cooking turkeys, hams and other foods that either require cooking oils to prepare or that generate a surplus of grease when cooked. Used cooking oils … Continue reading →

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San Antonio begins plastic bag ban consideration

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I very much look forward to seeing how this goes. San Antonio spends about $1.3 million annually cleaning up plastic bags, while an estimated $25 million is spent across the state, [District 7 Councilman Cris] Medina’s Council Consideration Request says. … Continue reading →

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What’s on the agenda for Mayor Parker in her third term

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Now that Mayor Parker has been safely re-elected, with a better-than-expected margin, what does she plan to do from here? A triumphant Parker on Tuesday lauded her “decisive” victory but quickly shifted her focus to the coming two years, listing … Continue reading →

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The next wave of curbside recycling

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From last week, some good news for those of who that still don’t have the 96-gallon wheeled recycling bins. Houston will roll out its biweekly, automated curbside recycling service to 70,000 additional residences throughout the city just in time for … Continue reading →

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Next wave of recycling bins approved

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From last week: City Council on Wednesday OK’d funding to complete efforts to double the number of 96-gallon green recycling bins parked at city curbs, but it is unclear which 70,000 homes will be next to receive the service. […] … Continue reading →

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If you want your trash to be collected

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s best to put your trash can where the automated pickup arm can get it. Last year, at least 9,000 trash cans in the city were left uncollected at some point, according to records kept by the city, a small … Continue reading →

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City seeks One Bin For All RFQs

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Calling all vendors. The city of Houston took a step forward on its “One Bin for All” project this week. The project would allow residents to discard trash and recyclables in one bin to be sorted at a new $100 … Continue reading →

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Collecting compost from restaurants

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Austin takes another step on its path towards zero waste. Austin restaurants and other food businesses will have to compost food scraps starting in 2016, under new rules the City Council OK’d Thursday. Food service businesses — … Continue reading →

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It sure is nice to budget when you have money

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker has released her FY2014 budget, and it’s great news for those of you that have been waiting for their single-stream recycling bin. More than 100,000 Houston homes will be added to the city’s single-stream recycling program by this … Continue reading →

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City response on “One Bin For All”

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, I asked several environmental groups for feedback on the city’s One Bin For All proposal. I said I would follow up on that with the city. I have their response here, but before I get to it I … Continue reading →

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What other environmental groups think about “One Bin For All”

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, last week the city announced that it had won the $1 million runnerup prize from the Bloomberg Foundation that would enable it to begin work on a single-bin solution for solid waste and recycling. While this announcement … Continue reading →

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