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Comprehensive Review of S olid W aste Collection and Disposal Options v2.1 ES-2 10/22/12 collection program taking into account potential changes in equipment, personnel, and collection methodology (e.g., automation and vehicle capacity), and collection schedule. A routing and technology study would likely take four to six months to complete. A budget of $50,000 to $70,000 is estimated to complete a routing and technology study. If the routing study was contracted by January 2013, it could be completed by mid-2013. Full implementation of any recommended changes likely could be implemented by mid-2014. - Collection Routes. Approve a budget amendment to fund the current collection routing configuration, which includes seven residential curbside collection routes running two days per week, until the routing and technology study described above can be conducted to confirm the most optimum routing and scheduling configuration. The Town’s budget currently includes funding for only six routes, although seven routes are currently being dispatched using temporary employees. SCS evaluated changes that would be needed to the collection schedule to accommodate the currently budgeted six route configuration and concluded that an additional collection day would be needed for residential curbside collection and the routes would need to be reconfigured. Reconfiguring the collection network to six routes and a three-day per week collection frequency appears feasible and could result in potential cost savings compared to fielding seven routes. If the Town were to keep the six route configuration, it would need to reconfigure work schedules (e.g., from the current 4-day, 10-hour per day workweek to a 5-day, 8-hour per day workweek) and reconfigure the collection routes. The routing and technology study recommended above is needed to confirm the feasibility and practicality of these changes and could potentially identify additional alternative routing configurations, staffing, equipment deployment, and collection day schedules. - Automation. Implement a partial transition to fully-automated residential waste collection for a select route or routes in a pilot phase study planned for FY 2014- 15, depending on the results of the routing and technology study. This would require the purchase of at least one (and likely two) new automated collection truck(s). SCS recommends the Town consider a 28-cubic yard capacity fully automated collection vehicle. This type of vehicle costs approximately $250,000, compared to the Town’s current 18 to 20-cubic yard semi-automated rear loading vehicles, which have a budgeted replacement value of $139,000.1 Following this pilot study, SCS believes the Town could transition most of the existing routes to full automation within 2 to 4 years with the replacement of collections fleet vehicles in accordance with the current depreciation and vehicle schedule. Cost savings are projected over the 30-year period considered in this study if the Town were to transition to automated collection primarily due to decreased labor costs. Depending on how the routes are configured and staffed (six routes versus seven 1 Another option, not specifically addressed in this study, is the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. CNG fuel on a diesel equivalent basis costs significantly less than diesel fuel, and CNG vehicles are quieter, and have fewer emissions. However, CNG vehicles are more expensive (e.g., +$40,000 per vehicle), require special maintenance facilities, have additional maintenance requirements and costs, and require a dedicated special filling station or access to such station.