Case Study: City of Durham achieves 30% fewer routes and improved customer service with RouteSmart Technologies

Route Optimization Is the Cornerstone of the City of Durham Solid Waste Department’s Efficiencies

The City of Durham Solid Waste Department faced mounting budgetary pressures, a losing residential waste collection program, and the challenge of bringing an outsourced recycling service in-house without increasing overall operating funds. Route planning was still done manually, threatening positions and operational efficiency, so the City of Durham turned to RouteSmart Technologies and its RouteSmart for ArcGIS solution to modernize route management and better balance people, performance, and processes.

RouteSmart Technologies implemented a multiphase rollout beginning in 2008 that started with pilot routes, established data collection and crew feedback loops, and integrated with mobile devices to flag bulky items and service issues. The RouteSmart solution rebalanced workloads, reduced vehicle needs, and delivered measurable gains—daily collection routes in one area fell from 26 to 18 (a 30% improvement), missed stops declined, customer service improved, and managers gained route-level cost and fuel data to inform budgeting and staffing decisions.

City of Durham

Felishia Ward

GIS Analyst