Technology in Solid Waste Trucks (Supplemental 24.6)

The City’s Sanitation Division is seeking approval to add technology to the fleet of residential trucks to improve operational efficiencies, reduce recycling/organics contamination (which cost the City $65,000 in penalties in 2022), and reduce costs associated with “go-backs” for missed collections (estimated around $45,00 last year). Staff have researched options and recommend installing routing technology on all 17 side-load trucks and installing AI technology on the seven trucks that collect recycling. AI technology can capture contamination data from all routes and communicate personalized messages regarding specific contaminants with residents through automated systems.

COST: $271,750 in 2025 and 2026, with a potential return on investment by 2027 through fuel savings and penalty reductions

This initiative will be funded through the Solid Waste Reserve, including the related work undertaken by both the Risk Management team and the IT division.