Digitally Track Waste and Recycling for More Sustainable Waste Management
Cities can also use SaaS technology to minimize landfill waste and encourage participation in recycling and composting programs. During the Covid pandemic, many municipalities suspended or altogether dismantled their recycling programs due to safety issues, a lack of staffing, and escalating recycling costs. Some of these cities are bringing recycling back online, and technology is helping them continually engage and educate customers with the ultimate goal of reducing recycling contamination. John Culbertson, vice president of MSW Consultants notes, “Education is critical to changing behavior, but technology that allows us to view, observe and quantify contamination down to the individual generator level provides us data about the ways customers really behave. As program providers and policymakers, this data is both fascinating and critical.” Helvia Quinones, deputy director of the South Operation, Solid Waste Department, Houston, TX concurs: “With strong data we are able to see where our trucks are, how much fuel they consume, how long they last, how many hours our staff is running their routes, the tonnages they’re producing, and even how the city is growing. All of this information is captured, analyzed, and fed to the mayor’s office.”
5
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease