Public Works to Improve Route Efficiency

For several months the Public Works Department of the City of Macon has been hard at work to improve the efficiency and service of its solid waste collection routes. In coordination with the Regional Commission, the City of Macon has used route optimization software to reconfigure the routes to save on time and gasoline consumption. Now all the routes will service equal numbers of homes, based on industry best practices and standards.

The City of Macon has also adjusted its collection of yard waste to prevent plant materials from occupying unnecessarily space in the landfill. The past several weeks’ collection of yard debris has been delayed due to limited truck availability for the two separate routes. In the long run, this improved method of yard debris collection will prolong the life of the landfill and improve its overall collection city wide. The separation of the yard debris from the landfill also saves on the tipping fees the city must pay to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for every ton of waste put in the landfill. Just last week Public Works was able to divert over 57 tons of yard debris from the Municipal Solid Waste Landfill.

“My administration has worked to improve operations within the City of Macon from day one, and this recent implementation of route optimization software by public works is an example of this,” said Mayor Robert Reichert. “We will continue to work at improving the efficiency and delivery of all city services to provide the citizens of Macon with the best city government possible.”

“When the Department of Public Works began to look at how we could improve our solid waste collection, we utilized the resources of the Regional Commission to assist in analyzing our routes,” said Richard Powell, Director of Public Works. “We knew we had inefficiencies and the Regional Commission’s software helped us to find the best way to address them. Our route work also lead to the separation of solid waste pick up from yard debris to reduce the amount of waste going into the land fill.”

The City of Macon will pick up the following as yard debris: bagged leaves, bagged grass, brush and small limbs cut in four (4) foot lengths.

For more information about solid waste collection and which route services your portion of the city visit www.cityofmacon.net or call Public Works at 478-751-2789.

For concerns regarding service delivery contact the City of Macon Customer Service through www.cityofmacon.net or call 478-751-7400.