HOUSTON – If Houston adds a new $5 monthly trash fee, you won’t see a new line on your bill. It would be folded into the one you already pay.
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Steven David, Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor John Whitmire, tells KPRC the existing “Solid Waste Cart Fee” line on your water bill would be renamed “Solid Waste Cart and Administrative Fee.” That total would show $6.29, combining the current $1.29 cart fee with the proposed $5 charge.
The Whitmire administration is introducing the proposal this week. A city council vote would come at a later date.
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What would the fee pay for?
David says the city’s Solid Waste Department serves roughly 400,000 customers and costs approximately $107 million per year, funded primarily through property taxes.
The proposed $5 fee would be the first time Houston has charged residents directly for its trash pickup service.
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The city tells KPRC 2 News it is proposing to start at $5, not the full cost of service, to avoid sudden financial pressure on households. Under the plan, the fee would increase by $5 each year until it reaches $25 per month by fiscal year 2032.
Under the proposal, solid waste would move from the General Fund, which also supports services like police, fire, and parks, into Public Works.
David adds that shift would come alongside a broader overhaul of how the department operates.
“We’re gonna have a whole bunch of operations and performance and audit folks inside the Public Works Department that constantly go through everything,” he said. “They have a bear hug around Solid Waste right now. We are going to deconstruct that department and rebuild its processes.”
The proposal pairs a financial shift with an operational overhaul, including automated routes, GPS tracking, new standards, and backup contractors to maintain service during the transition.
How Houston compares
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Houston is currently the only major city in Texas that does not charge a monthly solid waste fee. According to the city budget briefing KPRC attended, surrounding communities already charge for the service. Pasadena charges $34 per month, Sugar Land $24, League City $22, and Dallas charges $40.