Rubicon partners with city of Houston to revamp solid waste and recycling fleet

Rubicon, Lexington, Kentucky, has announced it has entered into a three-year partnership with Houston to help improve residential waste and recycling services for more than 2.3 million residents.   

According to a news release from Rubicon, the company’s products, like RUBICONSmartCity, will be Installed across its entire waste and recycling fleet, numbering 391 vehicles. The partnership will give the city greater insight into what is happening in the field, helping to increase the productivity of the city's solid waste department. 

“Partnering with Rubicon will help our great city optimize its solid waste operations and make it possible for us to digitize our entire waste and recycling management system,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “Houston is committed to providing the highest level of service to its residents. This partnership will allow us to provide better services, save taxpayer dollars, and deliver a better quality of life for Houstonians.”  

The company says RUBICONSmartCity is a proprietary, cloud-based technology suite that helps city governments run faster, smarter and more effective fleet operations. The platform includes a mobile app, an onboard data collection device and a web-based portal that will allow the city’s Department of Solid Waste to track key metrics including service verifications, missed truck pickups and issues at the curb and vehicle usage and maintenance information. The company says this will lead to more efficient operations, increased recycling rates and ultimately improved service for its customers and citizens.  

“We are thrilled to partner with Houston to provide digital waste and recycling solutions to the city’s residents,” says Nate Morris, chairman and CEO of Rubicon. “Houston is one of the largest cities in America, and its decision to work with us speaks volumes about the value provided by Rubicon’s products and the service improvements and savings they deliver to taxpayers in cities all across the United States.”  

The partnership aims to improve customer service for residents by providing enhanced reporting tools for use by waste and recycling operations, enabling drivers to document issues and exceptions along their routes, including instances of recycling contamination and bins not being placed out on time.  

“The city’s Department of Solid Waste can use this information to advise and educate residents around service scheduling, best practices for waste and recycling management and reduce costly return trips,” says Mark Wilfalk, director of the city's solid waste management department. “These insights, alongside route optimization and digitization efforts, are set to deliver an optimal operation to Houston.”  

The company says its products have been installed and will help the city maintain and expand service levels as they embark on rebuilding and revitalization projects.”  

RUBICONSmartCity has been rolled out in over 70 cities across the United States, including Asheville, North Carolina; Baltimore; Columbus, Ohio; Durham, North Carolina; Fort Collins, Colorado; Fort Smith, Arizona; Glendale, Arizona; Greenville, North Carolina; Hartford, Connecticut; Kansas City, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; Montgomery, Alabama; Santa Fe, New Mexico; San Antonio; Savannah, Georgia; Spokane, Washington and Roseville, California. The solution is available to purchase on Sourcewell, the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Marketplace, the HGACBuy consortium and Marketplace.city.