Phoenix Rolls Out Smart City Tech to Automate Waste Collection

The city of Phoenix, Arizona has entered a five-year partnership with smart city tech provider Rubicon to roll out automated waste collection services in the city.

Under the deal Rubicon will provide its smart city software to automate the solid waste collection process, deploying the technology in Phoenix’s solid waste and recycling fleet of more than 300 vehicles which service more than 418,000 locations per week. 

It will transition the city’s currently manual, paper-based waste collection processes to a digital-based service, with the hopes of streamlining collection services and reducing missed pickups.

By digitizing workers’ routes, city officials say route performance can be closely monitored  to identify areas where services can be improved, as well as make data-driven decisions to improve overall service efficiency.

“We are excited to move our solid waste collection operations to Rubicon’s digital, cloud-based system,” said Felipe Moreno, assistant public works director for the city of Phoenix. 

“Rubicon’s smart city technology will empower us to efficiently manage our entire fleet of collection vehicles, optimize routes and enhance our waste and recycling services.”

The news is just the latest instance of Rubicon’s smart city tech being deployed to improve waste collection services in U.S. cities, with a string of deployments in Houston, Miami, Atlanta and Denver in the first quarter of 2023. 

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“We are proud to partner with the City of Phoenix to bring our innovative smart city technology to solid waste operations in America’s fifth largest city,” said Conor Riffle, Rubicon’s senior vice president of smart cities. “Solid waste collection is one of the most critical services for cities, and our cutting-edge technology helps them deliver this service more efficiently, effectively and sustainably.”