Technology may assist garbage collection in Denver | David Heitz

By David Heitz / NewsBreak Denver

(Denver, Colo.) Garbage truck drivers in the City and County of Denver soon may have high-tech assistants.

The City Council will consider during the Finance and Governance Committee Dec. 1 whether to purchase SmartCity data collection software from Rubicon Global. A $1.5 million contract would provide the software for five years. The SmartCity software would assist the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure in identifying and addressing solid waste collection errors, collection route efficiencies, driver safety, and other factors, according to a memo from the city's Technology Services department to the City Council.

“Solid Waste equipment operators have one of the most visible jobs in the City and County of Denver,” according to the memo. “They directly serve over 180,000 customers per week driving the streets and alleys to pick up residential waste.”

Even if the committee approves the expenditure, the full City Council also must approve the purchase of the software.

Improving distracted driving

The software would:

· Identify collection errors. “There are numerous customer pickup exceptions along any route which can lead to re-work to pick up the missed cart if the driver is new to the route or is otherwise unfamiliar with the area,” according to the memo. “Solid waste staff spend an extensive amount of time per year correcting their day-to-day services due to a lack of a route tracing/accountability system.”

· Identify distracted driving and improve safety and efficiency. “The lack of an in-cab route navigation system leads to solid waste equipment operators reading their route information from paper maps prior to starting their shift and on the route,” according to the memo. “This has led to numerous distracted driving behaviors and in several cases preventable vehicle crashes. It puts the equipment operators and the public at risk.”

· Identify field work failures. “Customer-driven 311 requests require multiple handoffs to reach the field for service,” according to the memo. “Requests for work sometimes do not reach the equipment operators or the completion of the work is not communicated back to customer service staff leading to delayed closure or unclosed 311 cases. These failures or delays often result in additional case volume and duplicate field work orders.”

Software allows for remote supervision

The software essentially allows the city to remotely supervise the driver. “The solution will allow for supervisors and managers to monitor real-time route completion data to actively manage any issues while in operation,” according to the memo. “In addition, the solution will allow for safe and easy equipment operator interaction in documenting various route pickup exceptions including but not limited to contaminated carts, late set-outs, and blocked routes.”

The software will help drivers boost productivity and improve communication, according to the memo.

Comments are closed.