Most American cities have aspiring recycling programs that have sharply reduced the amount of trash bound for landfills. The glistening skyline of Houston may be labeled the world’s “energy capital”, but it’s the worst recycler among the United States’ 30 biggest cities.

Houston recycles only 2.6% of its total waste, (according to a study this year by Waste News), in comparison to other cities like, San Fran and NYC, who recycle 69% and 34% of their waste dutifully.

Environmental advocates have been pleading for municipal intervention in Houston for years. But city officials say real advancement will be hard to come by.

The city’s sprawling, “no-zoning” layout makes collection expensive, and there is little public support for the kind of effort it takes to sort glass, paper and plastics

“We have an independent streak that rebels against mandates or anything that seems trendy or hyped up,” said Mayor Bill White, who favors expanding the city’s recycling efforts. “Houstonians are skeptical of anything that appears to be oversold or exaggerated. But Houstonians can change, and change fast.”

The city picks up garbage at 340,000 homes, and fewer than half have recycling bins. Some 25,000 homes are on a waiting list for bins, but the city says it cannot afford more bins.

Those without the bins are asked to take their recyclable garbage to one of just nine full-service drop-off depots in the city.

Mayor White, (a Democrat), has consistently pushed for environmental initiatives, said that a lack of progress on recycling was among his biggest disappointments and that the situation merited “radical changes.”

Last year the City Council contemplated inflicting a mandatory $3.50 monthly “environment fee” for all single-family homes. It was negotiated down to a voluntary $2.25, but then dropped entirely because of fierce opposition, city officials said.

Critics blame the state for not prompting municipalities into recycling. Still, city officials say the biggest hindrance to recycling in Houston is cheap landfill fees. It costs $32 to throw away a ton of waste, compared with $70 in the Northeast, according to the National Solid Wastes Management Association’s latest survey.

Some reject this controversy, citing other cities with even lower landfill fees.” Blaming landfills is a completely flawed argument, old-fashioned thinking that is really just laziness,” said Eric Lombardi, the director of Ecocycle, the nation’s largest nonprofit recycler, in Boulder, Colo.

Obviously Houston needs to do something about their recycling efforts and I agree with Mr. Lombardi, it’s old-fashioned and time they work on catching up with the rest of the country!