Smarter, Cleaner Cities: How Esri’s ArcGIS Ecosystem Transforms Solid Waste Management

In today’s race toward smarter cities, solid waste management is no longer just a back-end service—it’s a front-line opportunity to improve urban living, strengthen environmental stewardship, and boost operational efficiency. Yet in many municipalities, the processes behind trash pickup remain outdated: manual reporting, clunky communication chains, and limited visibility into field operations.

Enter Esri’s ArcGIS Online, a suite of connected tools that empowers city governments and contractors to digitize, streamline, and optimize every aspect of solid waste management.

And in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, this digital transformation isn’t theoretical—it’s already a reality.

The Problem: A Fragmented Workflow That Eats Your Day

Before adopting the ArcGIS suite of applications, the City of Kings Mountain faced a familiar scenario: a citizen calls with a complaint or question—“Why wasn’t my can emptied?”

The dispatcher scrambled to find answers, relying on phone trees and guesswork, often repeating the same steps:

1. 1. The Dispatcher called the Supervisor to relay the citizen’s question.
   2. The Supervisor called the Driver to ask:
      
      • Where they are on the route
      • Whether a can was skipped
      • If there was an issue (e.g., blocked bin, overflow, not on the paid service list)
        
   3. The Driver provides an update to the Supervisor.
   4. The Supervisor relays this back to the Dispatcher.
   5. The Dispatcher finally calls the Citizen with the answer.

The GIS Revolution: Data-Driven Service in Real Time

When Kings Mountain implemented a customized ArcGIS solution, everything changed. Using ArcGIS Field Maps, ArcGIS Dashboards, and ArcGIS Workforce, the city built a unified system that connects drivers, dispatchers, and supervisors through real-time data and actionable insights.

ArcGIS Field Maps: The Driver’s Digital Companion

Waste collection crews now use ArcGIS Field Maps on mobile devices to:

• • • Log collection details with a single tap

• • • Report issues in context, without filling out paper forms

• • • Take photos of problems such as blocked cans or hazardous items

• • • Flag damaged or missing bins

• • • Share real-time locations via the integrated Location Sharing platform

All field data syncs instantly to the central system, geotagged and timestamped for accuracy.
“Garbage can blocked by car at 9:15 AM” is no longer a phone call—it’s a digital record with a photo, instantly visible to dispatchers and supervisors.

Data Collection in ArcGIS Field Maps

ArcGIS Dashboards: Dispatch at a Glance

Dispatchers now monitor operations in real time through ArcGIS Dashboards:

• • • Live truck locations

• • • Route progress

• • • Missed pickups

• • • Field incident reports with photos

• • • Service details at specific addresses (e.g., number of paid bins)

When a citizen calls, dispatchers can immediately see the data they need—no calls to the field—and resolve most inquiries in minutes.

ArcGIS Dashboard  used by the Staff

ArcGIS Workforce: Keeping Maps Current and Accurate

Behind the scenes, ArcGIS Workforce ensures GIS data reflects real-world conditions. Dispatchers can generate work orders directly within the system and route them to the right team in just a few clicks. 

Updates flow instantly to Dashboards and Field Maps, ensuring every user works from a single source of truth.

ArcGIS Workforce used for Work Orders

The Results: A City Transformed

With ArcGIS Online, Kings Mountain has achieved:

• • Fewer Communication Layers – No need to chase supervisors or drivers for routine updates
  • Faster Response Times – Real-time access to data slashes resolution times
  • Better Citizen Service – Accurate, timely responses build community trust
  • Improved Record-Keeping – Photos and timestamps provide auditable service history
  • Streamlined Operations – Work orders move digitally, replacing pen-and-paper requests
  • Reduced Costs – Real-time data enables smarter route planning and resource allocation

What was once a tangled chain of phone calls is now a responsive, data-rich operation—proof that smart city principles apply even to solid waste.

Solid waste management today isn’t just about trucks and bins—it’s about data, visibility, and agility.