Accidental Blogger

I am a conscientious recycler. Every Tuesday evening I set an assortment of paper, aluminum, cardboard and plastic (but no glass) items out on the curb side, neatly bundled and arranged in the blue recycling bin for pick up the next day. The recycleables are duly collected by the waste management company of my county. What happens to that trash afterwards is not known to me. But at least I feel I have done my part as an earth friendly consumer. Judging by the number of recycling bins I see throughout our neighborhood on Wednesday mornings, it appears that most of my neighbors also sort and recycle their household trash.  But "real" Houstonians (I live in the suburbs) apparently are resistant to the idea of recycling – the reluctance  has been attributed to their "independent streak." However, some of those who may wish to conform with the rest of the country in this regard, can’t do so because the city of Houston hasn’t equipped all its residents with recycling bins. ( link: Dean)

HOUSTON — While most large American cities have started ambitious recycling programs that have sharply reduced the amount of trash bound for landfills, Houston has not.

The city’s shimmering skyline may wear the label of the world’s energy capital, but deep in Houston’s Dumpsters lies a less glamorous superlative: It is the worst recycler among the United States’ 30 largest cities.

Houston recycles just 2.6 percent of its total waste, according to a study this year by Waste News, a trade magazine. By comparison, San Francisco and New York recycle 69 percent and 34 percent of their waste respectively. Moreover, 25,000 Houston residents have been waiting as long as 10 years to get recycling bins from the city.

Environmental advocates are pleading for municipal intervention. And some small improvements — an organic waste program, for one — are expected soon.

But city officials say real progress will be hard to come by. Landfill costs here are cheap. The city’s sprawling, no-zoning layout makes collection expensive, and there is little public support for the kind of effort it takes to sort glass, paper and plastics. And there appears to be even less for placing fees on excess trash.

“We have an independent streak that rebels against mandates or anything that seems trendy or hyped up,” said Mayor Bill White, who favors expanding the city’s recycling efforts. “Houstonians are skeptical of anything that appears to be oversold or exaggerated. But Houstonians can change, and change fast.”