This year, Solid Waste Management estimates it will get 51,000 complaints about missed trash pickups. Sometimes that's because drivers missed a street or didn't see a can on the curb. Other times its because a resident didn't notice a driver already drove through, officials say.
But every complaint forces a driver to turn back to check the bin. Sometimes drivers can't make it back until the end of day or the next morning, leaving trash sitting on the curb overnight.
The City Council on Thursday approved a $6 million, five-year contract with Rubicon Global for a Smart Collection System that officials say will cut the missed collection calls in half or potentially eradicate them all together.
"The goal is to get as close to zero as possible," said Nicholas Galus, Solid Waste Management's assistant director. "I'm sure there will always be calls. Our drivers are human — they may make mistakes. But hopefully with this technology those mistakes are drastically reduced."
The technology will also allow Solid Waste Management staffers to see if carts have been collected and show drivers where to go. Currently, the routes are printed out on paper maps.
Solid Waste Management Director David Newman said the technology will cut down the time it takes to learn a route. It currently takes new drivers up to six months to master routes packed with 1,100 to 2,000 homes.
"It's a tremendous benefit to the driver," Newman said.
Newman said the tablets will start being installed in trucks over the next few weeks and should be fully in use within about three months.
Solid Waste will add the iPad Minis to 187 trucks in the first year to pick up all curbside cart collections, which includes landfill trash, recyclable materials and compost.
Tablets will be added to other trucks in the second and third years of operation to incorporate bulky and brush collections. (Bulky items can include furniture, carpeting tires and other oversized items.) In total, 260 trucks will eventually include the technology.
The system is expected to pay for itself and eventually save the city money as drivers get faster along their routes and are less likely to have to backtrack due to missed stops.
The Solid Waste Management Department serves 375,000 residential customers.
Fee Hike Planned
As the new technology rolls out, San Antonio is gearing up to raise trash collection fees for a second year in a row.
The new navigation system is not the reason behind the hike though, city officials said. The devices were already carved out in the city budget.
Customers with medium cans currently pay $19.76 and those with large cans pay $30.25. Both monthly fees will go up by 50 cents this year.
Newman said the rate hike is needed this year to keep up with rising personnel and disposal expenses.
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