Frustration is growing in a southwest Houston neighborhood where heavy trash piles have sat untouched for nearly two months, despite hundreds of complaints, repeated calls to 311, and now a 10-day warning from the community’s HOA demanding residents remove debris they say they cannot legally haul away themselves.
The dispute intensified this week after some homes were serviced while others, just one street over, were skipped entirely.
Residents warned by HOA as trash piles grow
Neighbors just off Richmond Avenue say their HOA notified them that they have 10 days to clear the heavy trash stacked in front of their homes. For many, the warning feels impossible to comply with.
“We cannot do it, of course we cannot remove it,” one resident said.
Residents say the piles have been sitting there for nearly two months, long after the city’s expected heavy trash pickup date.
City Council Office escalates 400+ complaints
City Council Member Tiffany Thomas, who represents the area, confirms her office has escalated “around 400” complaints from this neighborhood alone. She says she still has not been given a timeline from Solid Waste on when the issue will be fully resolved.
Her office is urging HOAs not to penalize residents for what she says is a citywide backlog.
Nextdoor posts from across Houston echo similar complaints, showing the delays expand far beyond this one community.
Neighbors ask why their street was skipped
When our crew visited the neighborhood Tuesday, Solid Waste arrived minutes later, but serviced only two homes on the next street over. Residents watched the truck drive past their blocks without stopping.
“It’s not logical to come on one street and not the next one,” a neighbor said. “You send a big truck just to pick up one pile of trash—it is not efficient at all.”
Another resident said he’s called 311 several times, but “nothing happened.”
Solid Waste now says the partial pickup may have been a miscommunication and that the entire neighborhood was supposed to be serviced.
City acknowledges backlog, but no answers yet
The City of Houston says heavy trash volume is higher than usual, though officials have not yet provided details on how large the surge is or when it began. Residents say that without a clear explanation, it’s been difficult to understand why the problem has escalated so dramatically.
“They need to get organized,” one resident told us. “We pay taxes, we pay for services… they need to get really better organized.”
More contractors coming, but no start date
The Director of Solid Waste declined a request for an on-camera interview but confirmed the department is sourcing additional contractors in an effort to clear the citywide backlog. No timeline has been provided for when that extra help will begin.