Using Tech to Improve Recycling

1. CITY OF AMESBURY
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
Solid Waste and Recycling Division
By Laurie Pierce, Acting Recycling, Waste, and Compost Coordinator
Using Technology
to Improve Recycling
with GIS and Apps

2. City of Amesbury
Incorporated 1668
Population 16,780
Square Miles 13.7
Road Miles 78

3. Trash and Recycling History
• 1/2009 Negotiated new joint collection & hauling contract for
Amesbury & Newburyport with G. Mello Disposal Corp.
• 1/2009 Three (3) trash barrel limit
• 1/2009 Single Stream Automated Recycling
• 6/2009 Distributed 64gal. recycling cart
• 7/2012 Renewed collection & hauling contract with G. Mello
• 7/2012 Bulk Sticker introduced
• 7/2012 Changes to Downtown collection (3 to 2)
• 10/2013 Received MassDEP WREC Grant (through 6/2016)
• 6/2014 Council approved Mandatory Recycling Enforcement Ordinance
• 7/2014 Increased education efforts, mailings, door-to-door
• 1/2015 Mandatory Recycling Enforcement began
Future:
Two (2) trash barrel limit
Continued reduction of trash and increased
recycling tonnage with less contamination

4. Enforcement Tools
ESRI –
Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.
How it Works:
•Information is downloaded from the
City’s assessor’s database into the
ArcGIS maps. Data is collected from a
series of questions created by the user.
•Initially WREC’s follow the recycling
truck, one driving and one entering the
“Set-out” data.
•Once data is collected it can be
downloaded into an excel spreadsheet
where the data can be sorted, analyzed
and reports generated.
What is it?
Software designed to track and code
information regarding residents’ and
business owners’ recycling efforts.
This information is then used to
support the enforcement of the
Mandatory Recycling Ordinance.

5. Setting up ESRI Data Questions
 BRAINSTORM – make a list of questions that will answer your enforcement
questions and can quantify your enforcement efforts.
 Do you want to know if residents have left out e-waste, stacks of cardboard,
bulk items, HHW or yard waste?
 In the beginning we thought we wanted to know these things, but it
became too tedious to keep track and asked ourselves for what reason.
 Data to keep track of: Break it down into sections (example 3)
 TRASH
 How many bags? <numeric entry>
 How many barrels (35 gal.)? <numeric entry>
 Is recycling seen in trash? <Yes/No>
 Any bulk items? <Yes/No>
 Sticker? <Yes/No>
 What is the bulk item: <text entry>
 E-Waste seen? <text entry>
 White Goods: <text entry>
 Sticker? <Yes/No>
 Notes? <text entry>

6. Setting up ESRI Data Questions (cont.)
 Data to keep track of:
 RECYCLING
 Recycling out? <Yes/No>
 How many carts (64 gal.) ? <numeric>
 How many bins? <numeric>
 Is trash in recycling? <Yes/No>
 Notes? <text entry>
 GENERAL:
 Is there a business at this residence? <Yes/No>
 Visible # of units or addresses? <numeric>
 Initials of person surveying? Software automatically inputs by
user login.
 Date/Time? Software automatically tracks as user inputs data.
 Notes? <text entry>
Will these questions give you the information you need??? What data
field will you sort your information on???
Determine what physical attributes you want to designate you data on
the iPad for quick information while on the street.

7. Physical Attributes

8. Changes to Questions
After going out on the street, downloading
and analyzing the data we found that we had
not captured everything we needed. We had
questions we did not need and new
questions we needed.
Changes cost money. Go out and look at the
households, trash and recycling containers and
follow the trucks to get a sense of what is out
there.
Another factor to consider is time. To take data
you need to be as fast as the truck you are
follow when taking set-out rates. You cannot
count trash if the bags have already been
thrown in the truck. You can’t see recycling
contamination if you aren’t looking at the cart
when it is being picked up and emptied.

9. This property owner at #41 is recycling!
Don’t judge too soon!
• Residents could be on vacation
• Seniors, or other individuals, may not put recycling out every time
• Look at trash to determine what is put out
• Check property at a later date
Property owner at #7 is not recycling.
Out in the field

10. The software allows you to take a picture and attach it to
the property file.

11. The data download via email is in an excel spreadsheet and has 91 fields for
Amesbury. This is too many to work with and there are many fields that are not
needed. The software is derived from the Assessor’s data base so there are
many fields that do not apply to what we are doing.
Save the download as is, then copy that worksheet
and work with the that one by deleting the data you
do not need.
Amesbury’s recycling collection is every other week
and we designate each day with a collection code
that corresponds with resident’s recycling day.
Sorting the Data Download

12. Analyzing the Data
Reports are printed out
for each days route for
properties that need to
be checked.
Data is sorted by
“Collection Day”.
The line highlighted in red is a property that has received several “help” and
“warning” stickers, cards and mailings. We have tried to contact the owner and
keep this property on our radar.
The line highlighted in blue concerns us and more investigating needs to be done.

13. LA4 (MA Dept. of Revenue
Assessment/Classification
Report) Form does not reflect
the same property
breakdowns that Amesbury
Municipal hauling and
collection Contract uses.
We can sort by use code and
take out classifications we do
not need, like 1120 “More than
8 units or “Open Space” 2010
through 2890, etc.
Challenges

14. Challenges
Condos property slides
function a little differently in
this software.
The first slide shows
1 Huntington Ave. and it
has a total of 6 units. The
second slide shows unit 3
of the 6. Each condo has a
separate slide with the
corresponding property
owner’s information. This
allows each slide to
account for each condo
owner’s recycling and
waste practices.
Each slide is reported
separately when the data is
downloaded.

15. Benefits of Accountability
1) Able to track who is and is not recycling and be able to reach out to them.
2) Able to determine the set-out rates at any given time.
3) Able to keep track of different circumstances, ex. Senior citizen who lives
alone only puts out recycling cart once a month.
4) Able to track the progression of education and
warnings a particular property has, especially
when you are out in the field.
1) This property owner has received an orange
“Got Recycling” card. (First educational flyer)
5) Allows staff to pull up a piece of property when an
owner calls in about a card we left or an issue with
collection.
6) Allows staff the ability to keep track of hauler issues
at a particular site.
7) The overall set-out percentage for Monday,
Tuesday and Friday Fall 2015 is 92.8% compared to 66.9% a year ago!
8) And much more!

16. Questions?
•*If you are not for
ZERO WASTE,
how much waste
are you for?
* Gary Liss
Laurie Pierce
laurie@amesburyma.gov
City of Amesbury
Dept. of Public Works
Acting Recycling, Trash and
Compost Coordinator