Dive Brief:

• A report issued by the Chicago Inspector General (IG) concluded that although the city’s waste management system has improved, there is still a substantial amount of unnecessary expenses in the $164 million system.
• The report suggests changes implemented in 2012 and 2013 have brought a “greater operational efficiency” to the city: the grid system was a success; the number of waste trucks was reduced from 352 to 310 and hours were freed up in the sanitation department that were allotted to other services instead.
• The IG Joe Ferguson found that the Department of Streets and Sanitation does not have the basic data and management necessary to bring in additional savings.

Dive Insight:

The report suggests the department is not knowledgeable about the number of households it services. It is also lax when it comes to timely lunch breaks for employees and doesn’t account for work performed outside of the normal collection routes.

Streets and Sanitation, according to the report, agreed with the findings and vowed to find solutions.