Dive Brief:
- Rubicon Global has announced a new public-private partnership with the Columbus Consolidated Government to bring its cloud-based technology platform to Georgia's second-largest city.
- Phones with the company's app will be installed in the Columbus Consolidated Government Waste Collection Division’s fleet of about 75 vehicles. This fleet currently services more than 56,500 households.
- Using desktop software, the city can then analyze the data collected to learn more about customer service, routing efficiency and diversion rates.
Dive Insight:
This is Rubicon's third municipal partnership in less than six months, following similar announcements in Atlanta and Santa Fe. The company also provides this technology to the various commercial haulers it works with and sees the ability to track greenhouse gas emission data from diversion activity as a key selling point in its ongoing expansion efforts.
The use of software on devices such as phones or tablets during collection is starting to become more common and offers the potential for newfound efficiencies when it comes to routing and customer service. Larger companies such as Waste Management have invested in this approach nationwide and smaller independent haulers are also beginning to do the same. Rubicon's ability to track how much material is going to landfills or waste-to-energy facilities adds another layer to those services, by giving municipalities more information to plan their diversion strategies.
Like many municipal governments, Columbus is looking for new ways to extend the lifespan of its local landfill while still running a profitable recycling operation. In recent years the city opened a new material recovery facility, began introducing 95-gallon recycling carts to select neighborhoods and stopped accepting glass.
