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Page last updated on January 12, 2022 at 11:05 am

For more information, please contact

Michael Large, Special Projects/Operations Manager, largem@bloomington.in.gov, 812.349.3410 (office), 812.229.9139 (cell)

 

The Challenge

The COVID-19 Pandemic altered essential city services like trash, recycle and yard waste pickup when some routes needed to be canceled due to staffing shortages. And though the exceptions to service were few and far between, communication to residents about these changes could have been better in 2020. The dates and details of the collection have historically been misinterpreted by residents, even before the COVID era, however. Breakdowns in communication often create confusion over what can and cannot be recycled or how and where residents need to place their bins for collection. The resulting confusion and non-compliance prevented Sanitation workers from being able to collect some residents’ trash and recycling, making for some very unhappy residents. The high volume of angry resident phone calls and emails to Sanitation occupied a majority of administrative staff time and eroded their morale. Bloomington was not alone in these common municipal issues, but the innovative Public Works Department began looking into systems that would help change these dynamics and modernize resident interaction with the Sanitation Division. 

 

The Idea

Re-Collect is a software program designed to help people never miss a collection day again while eliminating quickly outdated printed calendars. It is the industry’s most trusted digital collection day reminder tool. The product displays the City’s curbside collection calendar in a digital format so residents can access their schedule by searching their address on the City’s website and then set powerful weekly reminders. The tool allows the City to instantly notify residents when unexpected weather, mechanical problems, or holiday schedules disrupt service. By staying connected to residents in real-time, ensuring they are informed, Public Works has been able to increase customer satisfaction with their service. Also, by targeting commonly misunderstood materials in weekly messaging using geofencing, Public Works is better able to teach residents what goes in what bin by using a feature called the “Waste Wizard.” the Waste Wizard has been especially successful in neighborhoods or specific areas that have struggled to follow guidance in the past. To check out the platform and find information specific to your address, click here

Re-Collect platform
Re-Collect's interactive platform

The Cost

Printed calendars and education materials are costly, time-consuming to create, and quickly outdated. It is estimated trash collection calendar magnets cost the City $16,000 per year. And while ReCollect costs $11,000 per year, the City can move away from automatically printing calendars because of it. Instead, residents are prompted in the platform to select if they want a printed calendar, in which case one will be mailed to them.

ReCollect was recently purchased by another company, Routeware (which Public Works also uses--see our other Innovation Stories to learn more). Routeware has reached out to Bloomington Public Works staff to understand how the City uses both platforms together. Soon, these systems may be bundled together, and Bloomington will likely benefit from getting in on the ground level, essentially pioneering the combination. It is too early to say if there will be cost savings to the city if the services are bundled together since the option does not exist yet. To learn more about what we pay for Routeware check out another innovation story regarding Public Works’ use of that software here. 

The City of Bloomington is currently seeing about 100 new users per month using ReCollect’s platform. By capturing interaction data, the system can tell who sets reminders, views the collection calendar, or even uses the Waste Wizard. Leveraging this data allows Public Works to save time and money for future customization or communications efforts via the platform 

 

The Benefit

Re-Collect offers COB’s Public Works Department a digital waste and recycling communications tool that eliminates printed calendars, lowers contamination, and reduces dissatisfied customer call volumes by an estimated 60% - dramatically improving administrative staff morale. When residents are clear about collection day and are notified when changes to the schedule do occur, they are better able to self-serve and less likely to call Public Works with questions and concerns. The Collections Calendar allows Public Works to save time and resources, increase staff capacity and increase the potential for retaining administrative employees so they can focus instead on education, better follow-up, and customer attention for specific or serious concerns, as well as operational needs. The actual cost savings if everyone printed their own calendar would be ~25K.  This is to cover printing costs, postage, and staff labor dollars.

Re-Collect's education tools
Re-Collect's education tools

Metadata

City Department: Public Works 

City Point of Contact: Michael Large

Partner(s): Re-Collect

Partner Point(s) of Contact: N/A

Date Implemented: January 2021

Type of Innovation: Process Improvement, Technical/Software