The city is already a leader when it comes to generating renewable energy through its waste to energy facility.
The Washington state city of Spokane has chosen Rubicon for a new three-year contract to provide smart city solutions in 189,000 service locations across the city.
Rubicon provides waste, recycling and smart solutions to businesses and governments. Spokane will utilize the RubiconSmartCity platform, which includes a tablet-based mobile app, a plug-in device, and a web-based portal.
Improved service for citizens
The technology will allow the city’s solid waste collection utility to track key metrics, including service confirmations, missed pick-ups, landfill diversion, and recycling rates, leading to more efficient operations and ultimately improved service for its customers and citizens.
The data will help the city understand how to improve its collection operations, as well as measure the carbon avoidance from recycling activities and track vehicle emission reduction targets in the city’s solid waste fleet.
Rubicon’s fleet management technology will be installed in the city’s solid waste vehicles, and a vehicle telematics system also is available for the city’s wider fleet of more than 1,000 vehicles.
“The city of Spokane is committed to delivering excellent solid waste collection and disposal services for our citizens at an affordable price,” said Scott Simmons, the city’s division director of public works and utilities.
“We already are a leader in generating renewable energy through our municipally owned and operated waste to energy facility. Partnering with Rubicon and their smart city technology expands our value to our citizens.
“The city of Spokane will be able to take the data that is pulled from the waste vehicles and determine the best routes for waste and recycling collections, improve response times and manage pick-up services”
“Using this new technology, we will be able to operate more efficiently, make business decisions using comprehensive data, enhance our sustainability efforts, and respond rapidly to customer needs.”
Tablets loaded with the Rubicon mobile app, as well as onboard plug-in devices, will be placed in the Spokane’s fleet of residential and commercial waste and recycling collection vehicles. With the mobile app and plug-in device, the city will be able to take and organize pictures at customer locations, flag locations, dispatch alerts and provide real-time GPS monitoring of each vehicle.
The app will also help deliver precise pick-up times, optimize routes and reduce the need for truck repairs.
“Using RubiconSmartCity, the city of Spokane will be able to take the data that is pulled from the waste vehicles and determine the best routes for waste and recycling collections, improve response times and manage pick-up services, all designed to deliver an overall improvement in waste and recycling solutions for its residents,” said Michael Allegretti, chief public strategy officer, Rubicon.