New software aims to streamline Galveston refuse retrieval

“We’ve been seeking a route-management system for a while,” Dustin Bender, director of the sanitation department, said.

The Rubicon Technology software went into operation about a month ago, after city council approved the purchase in October 2022, Bender said. The software cost the sanitation department $124,940 during the first year of the agreement, with year two and three costs totaling $173,880.

This will be funded out of sanitation’s operating budget and the city garage fund, according to the staff report requesting the purchase.

“We’re seeing measurables, for one, and they’re pretty comprehensive,” Bender said. “It will help inform a lot of decisions. It will help inform what the trends are, if the cans are being put out, when the cans are being put out, where are we missing them. We’ll be able to see that all in real time and respond very quickly.”

Before purchasing the Rubicon technology, Galveston didn’t have any software to help manage trash pickup routes, Bender said. City crews simply relied on institutional knowledge, he said.

“Now, we have it in an electronic format,” he said. “This will help us streamline and optimize those routes.”

It’s too early to tell whether the software has cut down on calls for service and interruptions to a speedy pickup, but it should soon, Bender said.

With newly created digital routes in place, Galveston will be able to closely monitor performance, identify areas where waste and recycling services can be improved, and make data-driven decisions to improve efficiency, Brielle Racanelli, as associate with Rubicon, said.

The sanitation department has been relying on archaic operational and administrative processes that are inefficient, duplicative and often prone to error, according to a staff report Bender filed.

“The Rubicon software will also allow sanitation to mindfully balance the route work and utilize the equipment in the most efficient manner, which will protect the city’s recent investment in new collection trucks,” according to the report.