Solid waste employees work 5-day weeks again after complaints about missed trash pickups

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Missed trash pickups consistently rank among the city's top complaints. Houston Mayor John Whitmire believes he's identified part of the problem.

Speaking to the city council on Wednesday, he shared a conversation with Interim Solid Waste Director Larius Hassen earlier in the day.

"He said, 'You won't believe what I've run across,'" Whitmire recounted. "'Do you know Solid Waste has taken off Wednesday for as long as anyone out there can remember?'"

Hassen's office told Eyewitness News that Wednesday collection routes had to be staffed by overtime employees under the previous director, Mark Wilfalk, who resigned in March.

The Solid Waste Department said employees were scheduled to work 10-hour shifts four days a week, but Wednesdays weren't one of those days.

"The new solid waste director said, 'Everybody takes off on Wednesday.' Allegedly, it's to build overtime. But who in the hell thought of closing a basic city service in the middle of the week?" Whitmire said.

Contrary to what Hassen's office is saying, Wilfalk tells Eyewitness News that there were always people scheduled to work Wednesdays, but not enough of them. He said people who stepped in to make up the shortfall qualified for overtime.

Hassen has since ended the four-day work week and replaced it with a traditional five-day week, with 8-hour shifts instead of 10-hour ones.

Since both work weeks equal the same 40 hours, Eyewitness News asked the Solid Waste Department why a five-day week was more beneficial than a four-day week.

"Wednesdays were previously voluntary, but with employees coming in five days consecutively using updated routes, we are actively chipping away at our backlog daily," a spokesperson responded. "In addition, using earlier start times to avoid morning traffic has been very effective while reducing our overtime."

In its original statement, the Solid Waste Department said it isn't regularly scheduling trash pickup on Wednesdays and instead will use the day to catch up on backlogs.

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