Consultants to Review Charlotte's Solid Waste Department

15 December 2011

The City of Charlotte, North Carolina has selected solid waste management consulting firm, Gershman, Brickner & Bratton (GBB), to perform an independent review of the its Solid Waste Services (SWS) Department.

The city's SWS Department provides a variety of solid waste collection services, including weekly collection of garbage and yard waste; bi-weekly collection of recyclables; and scheduled bulk collection.

The department also provides specialised services for small businesses, litter pickup, dead animal collection, and street sweeping.

According to the consultants, the review is being carried out with the objective of identifying opportunities for improved efficiency and will review and analyse operations, consult with stakeholders, report on findings, and provide constructive and actionable recommendations.

As part of the assignment, GBB said that its Project Team will review key data provided by SWS, review best practices benchmarking information, and conduct on-location work including site visits, field observations of service activities.

The company said that it will also be interviewing of key stakeholders to develop a clear understanding of the qualitative, operational, and policy dynamics that impact performance.

Another aspect that the consultants said they will consider is the choice of software used and whether new or updated software could be applied to improve efficiency, as well as the type of equipment and its age and maintenance and the technology used in collection.

Crew sizes and worker productivity will also be examined, and according to GBB the existence of any work rules, such as in contracts or union requirements, that may artificially lower productivity will also be noted.

GBB said that it will then discuss initial findings, recommendations, and opportunities for cost savings and other efficiencies with the SWS Department Director before providing draft and final reports.


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