Heavy Trash Changes
Here is a flyer from City of Houston on my earlier post about the changes in Heavy Trash Collection Times
Although we still remain on first Monday of the even months for pick up.
Month: September 2026
WHAT’S GOING ON IN TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, September 08.
Civic budgets and water bills lead the day, but Houston has a crown to celebrate: hometown dancer Regan Hutsell was named the 99th Miss America, the first Texan to win in more than 50 years.
Today’s Highlight
Houston Public Works is renewing collections on overdue water accounts, but the department told reporters that no shutoffs begin today despite earlier statements from Mayor John Whitmire.
The city is instead sending notices to about 15,000 delinquent customers who collectively owe roughly $30 million, warning them of possible future disconnection.
This first group targets accounts at least 90 days past due, owing more than $500, and equipped with Sensus remote-reading meters the city trusts. Customers get a final notice with a specific date before any interruption, and those with an active payment plan or billing dispute are protected. The city paused shutoffs for two years while fixing faulty meters.
Quick Hits
01 Harris County Commissioners Court holds a public hearing today on a proposed combined property-tax rate of 67 cents per $100 of appraised
value, the highest since at least 2006. The 7.6% increase would raise
the median homeowner’s bill about 12% as the county works to bridge a projected shortfall exceeding $180 million, with a final vote set for Sept. 17.
02 The Texas Department of Public Safety will restrict outside access to its
Flock license-plate camera database to agencies that have signed formal agreements with the department. The change follows a review that found roughly 615,000 searches of the state network in June, nearly half of them coming from agencies outside Texas.
03 The Texas Workforce Commission voted to cut about 14,000 child care scholarship seats statewide for 2027, including 1,081 in the Greater Houston region. Boards will pause new enrollments as families exit because a one-time $100 million state investment was absorbed by rising care costs while more than 100,000 children wait for help.
04 Texas barbecue restaurants are pushing brisket prices past what many diners will pay, which a new survey pegs at roughly $40 per pound.
Wholesale costs keep climbing, so Houston joints like Truth Barbeque hold at $37 while Austin’s Franklin Barbecue now charges $42 and Dallas-area Leroy and Lewis reaches $46.
05 At least 596 data centers are now operating or planned across Texas, according to updated research that added 14 facilities since June.
The count matters because ERCOT reports nearly 2,000 projects awaiting
grid interconnection, about 90% of them data centers straining the state’s power and water.
What’s Coming Up
The TS Lone Star State, Texas A&M Maritime Academy’s new 524-foot training ship, docks in Galveston at 10 a.m. today, ending a 21-year wait for a dedicated vessel. The university invites the public to watch the arrival from Seawolf Park, Pier 21 and Big Reef Nature Park.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston opens “Going Underground: The Jewels of Bernard Schobinger” on Thursday in the Kinder Building, the Swiss artist’s first U.S. show with 54 works. Schobinger himself appears at a contemporary-jewelry symposium Sept. 26.
HEAVY TRASH NOTICE
🚨 OAK MEADOWS RESIDENTS — ATTENTION PLEASE! 🚨
⚠️ SOLID WASTE PICKUP SCHEDULE HAS CHANGED ⚠️
PLEASE READ — THIS IS IMPORTANT!
After speaking with a 311 representative today, I was advised that the City of Houston’s Heavy Trash Schedule is now being done in EVEN-NUMBERED MONTHS ONLY.
📅 NEXT HEAVY TRASH PICKUP
OCTOBER 5, 2026
This means that Junk Waste and Tree Waste placed at the curb will remain in your yard until October 5th.
🌳 JUNK & TREE WASTE
The good news is that you may now have:
- JUNK WASTE in its own separate pile
- TREE WASTE in a separate pile
Please keep the two types of waste separated.
🚛 TAKING YOUR WASTE TO THE CITY DEPOSITORY?
For residents who prefer to load their waste and take it to the City depository off Old Galveston, there have also been changes regarding trailer sizes.
According to the City of Houston Solid Waste Department, residential drop-off allows:
✅ Pickup trucks
✅ Small trailers up to 10 feet long
🚫 Dump trailers are NOT allowed.
🚫 U-Hauls, box trucks, Sprinter vans, and contractor vehicles are NOT allowed.
📋 REQUIREMENTS
You must have:
- A current Texas ID
- A matching City of Houston utility bill OR lease agreement
For the City’s complete depository information and current requirements, visit:
https://www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/depository.html
🙏 MY APOLOGY
I also want to apologize to the residents for having my Tree Waste sign displayed in my yard during the past week.
The information I previously shared was based on what I was told through Councilmember Fred Flickinger’s office.
After speaking directly with 311 today, I have received different information regarding the current Heavy Trash schedule. I wanted to make sure our residents were informed as soon as I learned of this change.
Please share this information with your Oak Meadows neighbors so everyone is aware of the new schedule.
Oak Meadows Civic Club
NON Delivery of US MAIL
NON DELIVERY OF US MAIL
OAK MEADOWS RESIDENTS,
Some of us in Oak Meadows have been experiencing serious problems with mail delivery from the U.S. Post Office on Old Galveston Road.
This past Wednesday, I personally went to the Post Office to speak with the manager, Ms. Buckley, and make my concerns known.
Are you aware that this problem has been going on since January of this year?
If we receive our mail two days a week, we are lucky. If we receive it three times in one week, I feel like I should be jumping up and down!
What concerns me most is that, so far, I appear to be the only one actively complaining, even though I have posted the Post Office’s telephone number several times and encouraged residents to report their own problems.
Today, I am preparing an official complaint because we have access to Informed Delivery, which shows us what pieces of mail are scheduled to be delivered. Yet, in some cases, we are still waiting eight days later for mail that we were notified was coming.
If Informed Delivery shows that our mail was processed and is on its way, but it has not been delivered for more than a week, then we have to ask:
WHERE IS OUR MAIL?
At this point, I have four Oak Meadows neighbors who are willing to sign onto my official complaint letter.
After speaking with Manager Ms. Buckley today, she kindly asked that we give the Post Office two weeks to correct the problem. I am willing to give them that opportunity.
In the meantime, I will have my complaint letter prepared and ready to go. If the situation has not been corrected, I will deliver the complaint personally to the Post Office manager and also send it to our U.S. Senator, our U.S. Congressman, and the appropriate U.S. Postal Service officials.
This is not about being difficult. It is about receiving the mail that belongs to us.
I encourage any Oak Meadows resident who has been experiencing missed, delayed, or inconsistent mail delivery to please speak up and report it. The more residents who document the problem, the stronger our case will be.
Oak Meadows deserves reliable mail delivery.