Dive summary:

• Wauwatosa County in Wisconsin is doing a two-week pilot program to improve the city’s recycling program.
• The new system will use the same trucks to pick up recycling and waste at different times in a single worker's 8-hour shift.
• With the pilot program, the number of stops on each route will increase but the number of routes will go down from six to five, which the county hopes will save money.

From the article:

The City has a 2013 goal of diverting an additional 250 tons of refuse in the waste stream into the recycling stream. Every ton of refuse that goes through the recycling system, instead of to a landfill, saves $60 and makes $40, resulting in a positive impact of $100.

Currently, the Public Works Department collects both refuse and recycling material. Refuse is collected using automated equipment, with single operators transferring the waste through the city’s transfer station to area landfills. Recycling is collected using rear loading trucks and two-person crews. ...