City becomes first municipality to adopt app-based garbage optimization
BY
Trash collection is a pretty straightforward concept: a truck comes by and picks up bags left out at the curb, hopefully in Herbie Curbie containers, and takes them to the dump.
Pretty simple. And low-tech.
Not so fast! Atlanta has officially become the first city to sign up with waste company Rubicon as part of a pilot program hinging on high-tech software and a trash app.
According to Forbes, the six-month trial will equip all municipal haulers — apparently the technical name for garbage trucks — with a mobile app system that will provide real-time reporting to public works staff. The data collected can be used to optimize routes and provide feedback as well as report field service issues.
Rubicon has been likened to Uber for trash, allowing for on-demand pick-ups, though that corporate model isn’t something the City of Atlanta will be using.
And, alas, residents of Atlanta won’t likely see any visible changes like trash-collecting drones, or an app that allows you to upload your garbage to the landfill.
But, via smart technology, the city hopes to save money through greater efficiency and even reduce carbon emissions by streamlining service.
And that should make Herbie happy.
