Nestled in California’s San Joaquin Valley is American Refuse, an environmentally conscious waste company that runs more than 30 trucks, providing some 20,000 people with residential, commercial and industrial solid waste collection. From curbside pickups to roll-off rentals, American Refuse collects trash, recyclables and organics and green waste.

The company has been serving its community for nearly five decades, since current co-owner and manager Jeff Martin’s father started the company in 1974. While business looks a little different these days, Martin’s passion, drive and concern for people and the planet have propelled American Refuse to success.

Today the company draws on its decades of expertise paired with integrated software and digital tools from Routeware, Inc. to help people recycle more and better, alleviate stress on employees and improve the quality of the recycling stream — one pickup at a time.

Crafting the ultimate lineup  

A few years ago, Martin was in search of an app to provide customers with necessary information regarding trash, recyclables and collection times, whenever and wherever they need it, as well as software to help the company scale its efforts, increase efficiency and alleviate stress for drivers. 

American Refuse was also battling roll-off staffing challenges, late set-outs, overflowing trash cans, and the inability to scale efficiently because of reroute challenges. Routeware helped American Refuse address these pains and improve outcomes with its end-to-end solution for waste and recycling:

• Fleet Automation: On-board computers that connect in real-time to back-office software, plus truck cameras for photo and video documentation
  
  
• Customer Self-Service: Tools for digital engagement, education and outreach, powered by ReCollect
  
  
• Workflow Management:  Back-office and billing system, powered by CORE
  
  
• Route Optimization: Software powered by EasyRoute

Prior to deploying Routeware’s tools for digital engagement, Martin says American Refuse had tried to reach people through fliers and direct mailers that inevitably ended up in the trash.

“I don’t feel like we got that much information (to customers) out of what we were sending,” he says. “But we needed to do something.” 

Getting the ball rolling

During his tenure in the field, Martin met “hardcore recycling advocate,” Joe Garbarino of Marin Sanitary Service in Marin County, Calif., and he spent some time in his facility. Martin says Garbarino is known for thinking outside the box and used an app called “Where Does It Go, Joe?” powered by ReCollect, to help customers determine the best place to dispose of their items, keep tabs on collection schedules and more. 

“I was like, ‘We’ve got to get one of those,’” Martin says. Working with the ReCollect team, soon American Refuse had its own customized app that provides customers with their collection calendar and disposal information — and it worked together with other digital tools they were already had in place.

American Refuse rolled out the app to a handful of community members at a time, ensuring engagement and adoption from residents and city leaders alike.

“It ended up working out really well,” Martin says. “We haven’t had any negative feedback.”

Building on success

While American Refuse found success in simplifying its external communication efforts, they likewise needed an internal system to help manage day-to-day operations. They found it with Workflow Management, powered by CORE, which allows the team to manage data, automate key business processes, and ultimately become more efficient.

The company expanded its Routeware toolbox even further with software for Route Optimization, and now performs reroutes in about two hours versus several days.

“Being able to adjust routes, and having the tablets on-board, it’s worth gold,” Martin says. “The software is the heartbeat of the company. I can’t tell you how much CORE changed things for our team. Drivers can document what they see at the curb with photos instead of taking hand-written notes on route sheets. We have great buy-in from our drivers, and they use the tablets religiously.”

Aided by the software, the company has also found success through cart tagging, where employees place tags on carts to alert residents that they have disposed of non-recyclable materials in their recycling container. With truck cameras, drivers quickly identify offenders, snap a photo, then apply an “Oops!” tag to the cart with a positive message telling the homeowner what to do differently.

When used in tandem with curbside waste audits, these tools empower American Refuse with actionable data taking engagement to the next level, which in turn yields improved recycling behavior and creates a cleaner, more profitable recycling stream.

Checking all the boxes

Above all, American Refuse wants to improve access to information for the people they serve — “where customers can talk to us any time of day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Martin says. “We need that type of fluid communication between us and the customers, and that’s what’s helping us through this (ReCollect-powered) app.”

Routeware’s tools such as onboard cameras have changed the game when it comes to addressing issues in the field. “To take photos of problems on a route is huge for drivers,” Martin says.

“In the office, we are getting pictures in real time. We can see that a customer needs more service, or the cart is overfilled, and we can show the customer with a photo. This software is what flipped it. It took the situation from being perceived as office-against-driver, and driver-against-customer, to everyone being aligned with the same information,” Martin says. “It completely changed the dynamics.”

Perhaps best of all, the company is now able to scale effectively to serve a growing client base.

As Martin puts it, “We can actually go out and get more business.”

Learn more. Ready to find out what integrated, end-to-end tech can do for your waste and recycling organization? Let’s talk!