The city’s Department of Public Works has asked City Council to approve expansion of a trash can monitoring program it says would allow workers to spend more time and energy on other projects.
In its proposal Wednesday to city legislators, the DPW says approval will allow the department to reallocate 15,000 man-hours annually to other department work.
The program, currently in a pilot phase, deploys curbside trash cans equipped with sensors that self-monitor garbage levels and inform city workers if the receptacle needs to be emptied. There are about 95 of the “smart” trash cans deployed to a limited area that includes neighborhoods in the South Hills and West End. If expanded, the number of trash cans will grow to 1,281, deployed throughout the city.
“We are reducing the time it takes to service litter cans currently by about 30%-50% which would amount to at least 15,000 hours of staff time that could be redeployed to other work within the department,” said Mike Gable, the DPW’s director.
The city said it would partner with Victor Stanley, Inc., to install and maintain the sensors, which include “software and hardware components,” according to a city release. Victor Stanley was selected as the winning vendor as a result of a proposal request. If approved, the bid allows for a 4-year agreement, totaling $274,062.
According to the city, each sensor costs $4.90 per month, which includes a monitoring fee and a subscription Web-based management software. “Based on the current number of litter cans in DPW’s inventory, the annual monitoring fees will be $75,322,” the city release said.
In a statement, Mayor Bill Peduto said he welcomes the expansion.
“The litter can monitoring system is a great example of how we can use technology and innovative solutions to deliver services to our residents more efficiently and effectively,” he said. “By monitoring the real-time fill status of receptacles, DPW can more regularly empty cans in our neighborhoods and free up labor hours for other high-priority tasks, thereby improving the level of service provided to residents.”
First Published: April 26, 2017, 6:43 p.m.
