SAN ANTONIO — A whopping 80% of San Antonians are about to see their solid waste pickup days change on November 7.
Department of Solid Waste officials said this gigantic reshuffling may save $2.6 million dollars by making the whole city collection system more efficient.
“The cost of a truck is over $400,000. If we did not make these changes, we would need to add at least seven trucks and eight drivers," said Department Manager Nick Galus, explaining the math behind the changes. "The new model requires 15 drivers but no additional trucks. The estimated cost difference of the new model versus the old model is $722,122 versus $3,325,128, respectively, so we would expect a potential cost savings of $2,603,006.”
Galus said by spreading out collections over five days instead of the traditional four days, the division won't need to purchase new collection trucks. Instead, they'll be saving money on overtime with a more equitable distribution of their workload.
Galus said that since the start of the pandemic, the volume of material solid waste crews are collecting has gone up.
“At the height of the pandemic we saw 14% more material that we were collecting. It's kind of settled down so we're averaging eight to ten percent more material, but nonetheless, our routes can only collect so much,” Galus said.
Additionally, Galus said, traditional collection routes needed to be adjusted to accommodate growth. Collection workers, who put in four shifts of 10 hours, have been routinely working 12 hours or more.
The overtime costs are higher, and Galus said longer days take a toll on the workers.
“If they come in for a 10-hour shift, we want them to work ten hours. Not 12 hours or more,” he said. “We're trying to make sure that the routes are designed so that they are able to finish up at a reasonable time.”
Consistent customer service is a factor as well.
“If we're picking up later in the evening, it will confuse the customer because they'll think we haven't come by and picked them up, but the reality is the driver is still out there collecting,” Galus said. “Our goal is to make sure that we have all of our customers serviced before 4:30 p.m.”
Most customers who will see changes have probably received a postcard with updated information, but anyone who wants to check out service for their address can use the New Collection Day Finder Tool here.