Vision

The Vision of the SWMD is to provide exemplary service to the Houston community while enhancing our environment and protecting the health of Houston’s residents.

Goals

The goals of the City of Houston Long Range Solid Waste Plan include:

• Financial Sustainability: Achieve a sustainable funding model for Houston’s SWMD.
• Sustainable Materials Management: Increase reuse, recycling and organics diversion and decrease environmental risks of waste disposal in landfills. Make Houston a zero-waste community.
• Quality Service: Provide solid waste management services in a safe, equitable, responsive, and environmentally responsible manner. Provide high quality services to the residents and businesses of Houston with a customer service focus.
• Infrastructure for Materials Management: Ensure long-term disposal capacity and sustainable solid waste infrastructure.
• Beautiful City: Address illegal dumping and litter to improve the quality of the of the Houston community, protect the environment and protect public health.

Objectives by Goal

Financial Sustainability:

• Establish funding mechanisms that provide long-term financial sustainability for solid waste management needs.
• Secure alternative funding sources for paying for solid waste management strategies, including grants and partnerships.
• Provide services utilizing best management practices.

Infrastructure for Materials Management:

• Assure long-term disposal capacity, maintaining a minimum of 25-years disposal capacity for waste generated by City residents and businesses.
• Reduce haul costs by maintaining a system of transfer facilities for both MSW and recyclable materials
• Implement resource recovery technologies, including energy from waste for meeting the City’s future waste management needs when technically and economically feasible

Sustainable Materials Management:

• Reduce waste from all Houston residents and businesses, while leading by example, to assist in reduction of tons-per-capita disposed by 25% compared to 2020 levels by 2040.
• Expand and innovate recycling opportunities to all Houston residents and businesses to increase amounts of materials recycled by 45% between 2020 and 2040, increase types of materials that can be recycled, and reduce contamination to 20% by 2030.
• Enhance multi-family recycling efforts.
• Enhance private sector source reduction and recycling efforts.
• Preserve landfill capacity and realize environmental and economic benefits by reducing the disposal of organic resources within regulatory and economic constraints.

Quality Service:

• Preserve landfill capacity and realize environmental and economic benefits by reducing the disposal of organic resources within regulatory and economic constraints.
• Provide efficient, safe and responsive services in times of heavy storms or other disaster events.

Beautiful City:

• Reduce litter throughout the City presenting a more beautiful and healthier Houston.
• Enhance efforts to reduce illegal dumping throughout the City