CITY OF BRENHAM BEGINNING TRANSITION OF SANITATION SERVICES TO BIG
Transition plans are underway for residential sanitation and recycling for City of Brenham residents.
Beginning May 4th, sanitation services will be provided by Brannon Industrial Group (BIG)/Brazos Valley Waste and Recycling. Cart deliveries for customers will begin April 13th, but collection will not begin until the week of May 4th. Residents are asked to continue using bag service until May 1st.
Residents will receive two carts, one for once-per-week curbside garbage pickup and one for bi-weekly curbside recycling pickup. It should be noted that garbage collection days will not be the same as recycle collection days. An information flyer will come with the carts customers receive, and will provide all the details they need to know.
The Brenham City Council in March approved agreements with BIG to take over commercial and residential waste collection and recycling services. The council will not take up action on the transferring of operations at the collection/transfer station until later this month.
Sanitation and recycling rates for non-senior residential customers will be $15 per month, and $12 per month for seniors. Seniors are currently considered those over 55 years old, but City Manager James Fisher previously said the council will be presented an ordinance to potentially raise the senior-disabled person pricing exemption to 65 years old. That change, if approved, would become effective October 1st. Residents will continue to receive one bill from the City of Brenham.
Customers with additional questions can call the City of Brenham at 979-337-7440. Further information is available below.
WHO to Contact with Questions or Concerns:
Residential – 979.337.7440
Collection/Transfer/Brush – 979.337.7455
WHAT to do for garbage, brush, and recycling:
Garbage
- Garbage should be bagged, tied, and securely stored in your cart with the lid closed. If the lid is open, the collection truck will not be able to empty it
- Items too large to fit in your container should be taken to the transfer station – 2009 Old Chappell Hill Rd
- DO NOT pile bags or trash on top of or around your container. It will not be collected
- Please also make sure that your container is not blocked by any vehicles on pick up day
Items not collected:
- Dirt, sod, concrete or rock, tires, oil filters, and CFC containing appliances
- Flammable materials such as oil, gas or paint
- Contractor generated debris from construction, remodeling or demolition
- Hazardous waste, liquids or any other material prohibited from the landfill or Transfer Station
Brush
- Brush must be cut into 4-ft length or shorter and put in a separate pile. Please call to schedule collection for a Wednesday yard waste pickup for a nominal fee. (979) 337-7455
Recyclables to be collected
- Metal Cans – Rinsed steel, tin and aluminum vegetable, fruit and beverage cans
- Paper Products – Newspapers, magazines, junk mail, brown paper bags, phone books, non-confidential office paper, mixed/white paper, and flattened cardboard
- Plastic #1 & #2 – All colors of plastic will be accepted. Please check the bottom of the containers for #1 or #2 to confirm its acceptance. Do not include bags, wrapping, or packaging
- Glass Bottles and Jars – Rinsed clear and brown glass bottles and jars will be accepted for recycling. Do not include lids
WHEN to place and remove your cart
- Place your cart at the curb in front of your residence by 8 AM on your designated collection day. Collection times vary day by day so it must be out by 8 AM on collection day
- Carts must be removed from the curb following collection
WHERE to Place Carts
Along the front curb or the edge of a flat surface driveway, at least 3-ft from other carts, mailboxes, vehicles, trees, telephone poles, water or gas meters, etc. Carts may be placed at the edge of the grass, abutting the curb if unable to be placed on a flat surface on the roadway. The arrows on top of the cart should face the street and the wheels should face your house.
Where NOT to place your containers
- On a sidewalk or IN the street
- Over sprinkler heads, water or gas meters, or cable/electrical boxes
- Under low-hanging tree limbs or cable/electrical wires
HOW much does it cost
Sanitation and Recycling Rates $15.00/mo. (Non-seniors)
$12.00/mo. (Seniors)
Wednesday Yard Brush Pick-up Rates $15.00/per occurrence
All rates will be billed by the City of Brenham on your utility bill
PROGRAMS:
Cart Assistance Program, Recycling Opt-Out and Reduced Garbage Container Size Forms
- All forms can be found on the City of Brenham website under Sanitation and Recycling (Forms)
- Forms can be emailed to jhynes@cityofbrenham.org or dropped off at Utility Billing at City Hall
- If the recycling opt-out option is chosen you may have your cart picked up by BVR Waste and Recycling personnel, but the full monthly fee will still apply.
The reduced garbage container fee will be the same as the standard 96-gallon container fee.
Companies that recycle have and continue to get government grants. Then they decrease our services, make it more inconvenient, cost us more money. That is the truth. I’ll be waiting for the owner and city of Brenham to reply.
If the sanitation budget was in the RED that is because there was not enough money allocated to it. And if there wasn’t any money left to increase the sanitation budget, this means we are spending too much in other budgets. Our Leaders are Failing Us.
Do like everyone else and cut spending on unnecessarily things so you have enough for essential services. SIMPLE .. Our City Council does not understand this…
The City Sanitation Dept. budget was not in the red. Some of the revenue was actually being used for other departments. That is why there is now a deficit in the General Fund that the City must address.
Y’all are all a bunch of whiney people. Washington county , or city of Brenham residents can never accept change. Times change. So does everything else. And I agree, who doesn’t but trash bags? The cost of trash pickup which is a little more than before, includes your recycle pickup, which before you would have had to take it to the recycle place yourself. My gosh people, there are a lot of bigger things to worry about besides trash pickup, and oh but that’s how it’s always been done. There are towns a lot smaller than us that use this type service. Give it a chance. Quit complaining. Y’all whine about the smallest issues. If you don’t like it, find a town that still does it the old way, and move. I am sure most towns and cities are going to this type service. I hear what if my trash can stinks- well wash it out. I have to buy trash bags now- did you actually use those big bags in your house and not have a regular size trash can? Come on people stop all the non-sense complaining already.
Seems to me we could have tweaked the service we already had. Instead, it’s all turned upside down. $15 for yard waste when we call? Good grief. That’s huge. BTW a few months ago it was the new drainage fee. What next? We just keep getting hit with “a little more” here and “a little more” there. I find it pretty annoying. Especially since our electricity is not competitive. It’s too much
A news story preceding this story about Garbage Pickup Changes and cost increases, Is about A Bryan man is in police custody, after allegedly beating his five-week old daughter. The infant is in a Houston hospital, recovering from a skull fracture, That news story only concerned 3 people enough to comment , YES ONLY THREE people were moved enough to comment !! But Garbage Pickup changes moved 39 people to become upset enough to comment.. That says it all to be about our society . Think about that for a moment, While this family is going trough their child being abused and hospitalized your upset about Garbage collection.. Let that sink in for a bit.
Do we have a choice? I would rather take my trash to the dump for 2 bucks than pay 17 bucks a month for a once a week pick up!….just saying!!!
I’m 77, so hope the big trash can has wheels! I’m good with all this! This is a minor situation compared to all Brenhamites covering your face, wearing gives, and stay home except for necessities! Let’s all work together for our people in our Brenham !! Stay safe and God bless!
Everybody here is sooo spoiled! Do you want the city to wipe your hind end for you too? Change is something you have to expect with a constantly growing city. No if ands or buts!
You all do understand that if the city did not out source to big that you would have seen an increase in your trash rates for the city to try to continue the existing service. So the city looked at ways to try to save you money and choose an option that many other city’s use and works just fine. I for one think it is crazy that the city has provided trash bags for all these years as it was never enough to make it the entire time between when the passed them out. No other place I have lived has this ever been the case. I no longer live in town but have a large can at my house we store our trash in before we take and dispose of in a dumpster. A family of 5 will fill the can in a weeks time only if we have friends over or extra people. We do recycle and I will be happy to pay a fee as a county resident to drop off my stuff so that we are doing our part to help the environment. Trust me big will sort your recyclables and process them. They do this with all of their dumpsters from construction jobs. Unfortunately the market for recycled product right now Is was down. You can choose to take your aluminum cans and see them if you like this is only product that pays anything but my time is more valuable then the few dollars you get a bag The brush service is one thing that the city might look at and adjust as I am sure other parts of the new services. One issue they have is the have an excess of mulch and brush that no one wants to buy or take for free it cost them money to offer this service.
Try these new and improved services that so many people have put in the time to better serve you and see how it works. I am sure the city will welcome feedback both positive and negative
To answer your question, I doubt people did know that the dept was in the red; the City has a history of communicating poorly to the people. The problem is that the city didn’t give notice for public input until they had already made up their mind on what and how they’re going to do it, then announced for a “public meeting” that resembled more of a PR stunt than that of a genuine conversation between the officials and the public, and then claim to wonder why the public is so cynical. Plus, this is not the first time the City has changed something in an effort to “save money” and come to the predicted time we should be seeing those results have not come into fruition. Hence, no, we do not “trust you” or the contract with big, and understand I do not say this to be condescending, it’s just companies have exploited the City for our tax dollars before. It’s difficult to reach out to our “council representative” when they don’t return your phone calls.
As far as the compost is concerned, they changed policy by charging a minimum fee of two dollars per load of foliage when it used to be free…and they used to sell quite a bit of the mulch they made out of it until local landscaping companies complained because the city was selling mulch they were getting for free and directly competing with private businesses…and understandably so.
BIG MISTAKE! Not at all helpful, convenient, or efficient for people in the city limits.
Unlike, the county, we can’t burn.
Let me tell you I for one, appreciate the excellent service we’ve had. The guys are so courteous, properties are cleaner with the service we have gotten, and there isn’t a trash build up.
The carts are really hard for many seniors to operate. Haven’t we learned anything yet?
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
I am confused about plastics. You say all colors of plastic will be picked up but then specifically state #1 and #2. I know #6 is accepted nowhere but what about the other numbers?
I just can’t help to think about the odor of that trash for an entire week !
Not up mention the maggots and flies that will collect.
Oh well, glad Mr. Fisher makes these decisions. And glad Brenham paid him over a 100k per year. Guess he is not complaining about changes or rates.
HEB has a delivery service for seniors age 60 or older. City management and elected officials have a new proposal that is less considerate than private business. Even to suggest to up the age to 65 from 55 for the discount to seniors says a lot about the character of management and elected officials.
Better off taking it to the dump yourself, this is a load of garbage
We usually fill one and rarely two bags a week. At $2/bag, I agree that it will be cheaper than the $15 charge.
So…pick up once a week and everything must be in the cart…if it’s not, better fork up the cash to take it to the dump…
Seems like they just want more and more money with less and less service.
And that’s from someone in the county that this really doesn’t effect much. Just a thought.
This is the ppl running our town!!!
Shame re-election time.
There are a LOT of people complaining here. I for one think it is a great idea. I dont mind purchasing garbage bags to make sure my garbage can is maggot and funk free, If you want to wash that nasty can out or have it smelling like hot garbage up by your house cause your too bitter to buy bags be my guest. Do you all realize how hard it is to keep employees on the backs of those trucks? You go and pick up peoples garbage for one day in the sweltering sun or the freezing rain and I am willing to bet money you would quickly change your mind so a truck that does it automatically is great!. With the recycling cart we will definitely have less trash to put in the garbage cart so one day a week seems reasonable. Keep up the good work COB.
Im soo tired of hearing all of the complaining!!!! Yall act like a bunch of school kids that dont get their free candy bar after using the restroom! Out in the country, pickup is once a week, take the cart to the road on that day every morning and bring it back that afternoon when you get home. Its that simple.
It’s not the once-a-week pickup that is the issue, or having to buy our own garbage bags, or the garbage bin to put out and back from the curb, it’s the fact we’re going to be charged more for less…and we “city-folk” (those within city-limits) don’t have the luxury to burn our own foliage/brush (or garbage for that matter): instead, we have to pay three times more than we did when we took it ourselves to the city compost so they could sell it BACK to us as mulch. We also have to pay for recycling pickup when it used to be free when we took it to the recycling center ourselves. To counter your “complaint,” we’re going to be paying fifteen dollars instead of a buck-fifty for a candy-bar we never asked for in the first place.
Ok but here is my thing. We are a family of five. We generate a lot of trash. Splitting it up twice a week isn’t that bad. But going to once a week and only being able to use the can provided is worrisome. I feel like I will be paying more , not just the per month charge for one week pickup but also for the extra garbage I will have to dump. My parents live in a small town like Brenham. They chose to outsource their sanitation like Brenham has. However, they still get a pick up twice a week,recycling and brush disposal. So my biggest question is how did we get less for more money? Also, can we negotiate to get our regular second pickup?
Amen! If it wasn’t for complaining I’m not sure they would have anything to say. All these complaints are trivial non sense.
“Garbage should be bagged, tied” …. why should I have to buy trash bags to put in a container? If you want it bagged and tied I would recommend returning to delivering bags to citizens. Otherwise you get what you get in our trash can. I will certainly miss the guys that grab the boxes or empty trash cans and all the little extras. Another great service gone by the way side
Why should you have to buy trash bags? Who doesn’t buy trash bags?! Have you had them delivered to you from the tooth fairy?? You definitely have never lived in a rural area.
First it is stated that citizens are supposed to call to schedule collection for a Wednesday yard waste pickup for a “nominal fee”.
Further down this article says that Wednesday Yard Brush Pick-up Rates $15.00/PER OCCURRENCE.
I do not consider $15.00 PER OCCURANCE a “nominal fee”.
Not everyone has access to a truck or trailer to make a trip to the collection station and yard work is a year round task for responsible property owners.
Perhaps this is a great opportunity for some enterprising young man to make some business cards advertising brush pickup. He could do it for $10-$12 per pick up and then those displeased with the city price would not have to participate (this would only apply to brush etc. not trash of course) They would be supporting a small business. Said young man could then take the brush back to his property in the county and burn it.
I’m still waiting to see if the city is going to cover that charge for when a limb falls into their easement. I usually take care of cutting it up, but I won’t do it if I’m doing their work AND getting charged for it.
An easement is just that, an easement. All that does is allow the city to access that area. It is still your property; and thus, your responsibility to maintain.
There is a city easement along the rear of my property. It is NOT my property but my family has been maintaining it for many years to keep it from becoming a jungle of undergrowth.
County residents still take trash bagged to city dump at $2.00 a bag and recyclable where?
This is ridiculous! So you are bring in an outside company to do the cities job? What about the sanitation workers that work for Brenham now? Job Cuts?? Small simple town…Leave it a small simple town!!!!
Just a thought…..If the cost of our trash was more that we are being charged then why didn’t you raise the cost for us? Why bring in ‘BIG’ to do it? And another messed up part of this is you are taking it from 2days a week pick up to 1 day with this company. SMH!!
For those of us NOT living in the city, are we STILL allowed to use the “dump” on Old Chappell Hill Road for $2 per bag???
People will have more trash if trash is only picked up once per week. Residents may need to stack trash or place them outside of containers. Also people usually receive money for recycling cans etc. Does the city pay the residents or just accept without compensation?
They will get money for our cans, etc. They already sell mulch that comes from us.
Is this just for the city of brenham? What about the citizens in Old Washington area, there’s no pick up?? Tax payers as well
Ok let me get this straight:
1. We will be paying a little more for garbage pickup than we are now
2. We now have to buy our own garbage bags to be placed in the cart
3. Instead of twice a week, we will now have once a week
4. If you have a big cardboard box or other large item that cannot be put in the container, you have to take it to the transfer station on Chappel Hill Road
I may have a negative attitude, but this does not look like a great deal for city customers.
Plus on the recycling, I find it hard to believe that if we throw all recyclable items in the cart that someone is going to sort it once picked up. I would bet that also becomes garbage.
They have big fancy machines that sort all those things.
Will there be a new drop off location for Auto Lubricants and Grease/Cooking Oils?
Where is the saving citizens money when the rate per month goes up a dollar and service is cut back to once a week????? That good ole buddy buddy program running strong in the city.
Do recyclables need to be bagged?
Well is someone from the city going to removed the cart. Since my wife and I both go to work before 7:00 am and to not return until in the afternoon. This was a big sticking point that the city never did address.
Gees you haven’t even started yet and are already raising the price and age for seniors, who usually generate less trash,…….cmon think about it
This is so ridiculous, I am so glad we all had a choice in this, being that we are the ones paying for it. Thanks Brenham Leaders
Maybe I’m slow, but couldn’t this have made it to the ballot at election time???
The officials that run the city never think… They just do what they want.
Crazy thing is when they first bid it out and agreed, it was $14/month. Then, it goes up to $15. I would like to find someone to dig on this and why that was changed after the agreement. Don’t tell me it’s only $1 more when you extrapolate that out across the entire resident base, that’s lawsuit potential.