What's Behind the Backlash to Houston's 'One Bin for All' Program

Back in March 2013, Houston won one of the inaugural Mayors Challenge prizes from Bloomberg Philanthropies for a dramatic proposal. The One Bin For All program offered a new solution for recycling, simplifying the two-bin answer to household waste settled on by most cities. In Houston, residents would put everything into one bin: sun-scorched grass clippings, empty Dr. Pepper cans, well-read copies of The Houston Chronicle, leftovers from Whataburger, the works. From there, a private firm would separate the good, the bad, and the recyclable at a new, to-be-constructed $100 million facility.

The public–private partnership to implement new technology is exactly the sort of outcome that the Mayors Challenge aims to inspire. Unfortunately, One Bin for All has yet to unite the city. The Texas Campaign for the Environment has emerged as a vocal critic of Houston's one-bin system since the city started moving forward with its plans. In the rush to find an innovative answer to a persistent problem the city faces, Houston may have turned its back on some reliable science.