June 19, 2006 - The City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department is on schedule with household Garbage Collection and Curbside Recycling.  However, flooding and high water is affecting the ability of the Solid Waste Management Department to get into many neighborhoods with scheduled garbage and/or heavy trash collection today.  As of 11:00 a.m., it has also affected the ability of many of our employees to get to work.

Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) Director Buck Buchanan stated, "If department crews are not able to safely access a neighborhood, we will make collection of your automated garbage containers on next Monday.  We will collect any overage (extra bags of garbage) you place with your automated container next Monday without limitation or without the Extra Capacity Tags (Tags for Bags) at that time."

The Solid Waste Management Department is also providing 3rd Monday heavy trash collection service today, where possible.  SWMD Director Buchanan stated, "We will collect so much of our 3rd Monday heavy trash routes today as we are able to.  If we cannot complete the heavy trash routes today, we will pick up tomorrow where we leave off today and continue in that fashion until we are back on schedule.  This means that our collection of heavy trash may lag behind by no more than one day until we are back on schedule."