Case Study: Gateshead Council achieves £400,000 annual savings with RouteSmart Technologies

Council saves £400,000 a year thanks to OS data

Gateshead Council needed to make its waste management services more efficient while serving around 90,000 properties and handling both residual waste and recycling collections. Working under the PSMA, the council adopted RouteSmart Technologies’ RouteSmart route optimisation software together with Ordnance Survey’s OS MasterMap Integrated Transport Network (ITN) data to visualise addresses and redesign collection rounds.

RouteSmart Technologies’ solution used base mapping and OS ITN routing information to model and fine‑tune rounds, enabling a redesigned collection service. The changes delivered measurable results: £400,000 saved per year, four fewer service vehicles (lower carbon emissions), a compressed working week for staff, reduced public disruption, and significant increases in recycling rates, with improved ability to spot future capacity tipping points.

Gateshead Council

Colin Huntington

Service Director