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By rdnewsNOW staff

Includes GPS Monitoring

Lacombe city council approves Solid Waste Route Optimization Implementation

Jun 20, 2025 | 10:00 AM

Lacombe city council has endorsed a Solid Waste Route Optimization Implementation and approved Global GPS monitoring and onboard navigation devices for four garbage trucks in the 2026 Budget process.

City officials note they have contracted Morrison Hershfield (since acquired by Stantec) with assessing and optimizing the current and future solid waste collection system.

According to city officials, the study aimed to improve route efficiency, address fleet and cart system limitations, and explore a cost-effective transition to a modernized waste collection model.

“Lacombe continues to be a leader in our approach to solid waste,” Mayor Grant Creasey said. “By optimizing our system, we are creating a cost-efficient program that will serve our citizens well into our community’s bright future.”

To achieve council’s strategic goal of route optimization: Morrison Hershfield applied a three-stage process to optimize the city’s waste collection system:

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1. Macro-Routing: A high-level analysis evaluated truck availability, daily work hours, population growth, and collection frequencies.

2. Route Balancing and Districting: Using GIS tools, the city was divided into 15 optimized collection zones (five zones per truck across a five-day work week)..

3. Micro-Routing: Detailed routes were developed for each zone to reduce overlapping routes, limit backtracking, and align collection patterns with operational constraints such as road conditions and traffic patterns.

City officials say the optimized system is designed for current service demands while accommodating forecasted population growth.

According to the city, key benefits of GPS and onboard navigation include improved time management, accurate route planning, enhanced fleet management, and better customer service.

Over a seven-year projection (2024–2030), the city says switching to new industry-standard trucks and carts would reduce total annual costs by approximately 20 per cent, from $1.84M to $1.44M in the first year alone. Per-household costs could also decrease, officials point out.

The city says it will use a communication strategy to inform and engage customers about the garbage collection optimization project and how changes affect them.