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Plainview solid waste official reports staffing strain, recycling gains and equipment upgrades
Summary
At a City Council meeting, Brock Lively of the Solid Waste Department reviewed last year’s collection totals, recycling results and equipment and staffing changes, saying the landfill still has decades of capacity while the department continues recruitment and training efforts.
Brock Lively, a representative of Plainview’s Solid Waste Department, told the City Council that the department expanded several services last year but continues to struggle with staffing shortages.
Lively said the city collects roughly 2,410 residential “round boxes” once a week and operates separate routes for apartments and high‑traffic areas. He said the city now has about 370 blue public recycling boxes and 70 public access dumpsters, and that a recent grant added 100 new dumpsters to the fleet.
The update outlined landfill, recycling and equipment figures: the city accepted about 33,460 tons of municipal solid waste and 7,512 tons of construction and demolition material last year. A landfill survey completed in August showed roughly 87 years of remaining capacity, Lively said. The department ran its brush grinder on about 3,200 tons of material and processed 158 tons of tires; Lively said the city limits tire drops to 10 per person per day. He said the recycling center sent 270.75 tons of material to market in 2024 and generated about $38,000 in revenue.
Lively described operational upgrades including a new compactor at the landfill and rollout of an in‑house tub/dumpster loan program used for cleanup events and demolitions. He said the department replaced its fleet tracking system with Samsara devices that include front‑ and driver‑facing cameras and AI alerts for distracted driving, rolling stops, harsh braking and other safety events. Lively said those tools improve training and let staff capture GPS‑tagged photos of illegal dumping to speed responses.
On staffing, Lively said turnover left the department short during parts of last year; at one point staffing had fallen to about half of the needed complement. The department has run an entry‑level driver training program since November 2023 that has produced 13 CDL‑qualified employees and started a new class the day of the meeting.
Council members praised the presentation and raised staffing suggestions. “I always loved your presentations, Brock,” Council Member House said. Another council member encouraged outreach to retired former city employees as a potential recruitment pool.
Lively also described one‑time and recurring revenue efforts tied to an AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) meter replacement, noting the city expects to sell about $90,000 of copper and brass recovered during that project and that the city received an American Public Works Association recognition for the AMI recycling work.
The presentation required no council action.
Plainview officials said the department will continue training, alley grading once weather allows, and public outreach to reduce recycling contamination.
