Community Waste Disposal outlines fleet upgrades, new cart-washing and video monitoring for Lancaster

Jason Raymer, president of Community Waste Disposal, told the Lancaster City Council on July 14 that the company has made several operational changes meant to improve collection reliability and customer service in the city.

Raymer said CWD overhauled its bulk-and-brush schedule in May 2023 so a brush truck is present in Lancaster every week, and that the company now collects up to 12 cubic yards of bulky waste or loose brush every other month. He described a 'hot list' process — jointly managed with city code compliance — for tagging and resolving excessive or untimely piles.

"We've seen, on average, about 32 grievances per month in 2025. In 2024, that was 61. So we saw a 47% improvement," Raymer said, attributing better service to new vehicles, operational changes and driver assignments. He said CWD added two vehicles in November and January and reduced the average age of the Lancaster-assigned fleet from about 5.5 years to about 3.5 years.

The company highlighted environmental and operational investments. Raymer said most collection trucks (except claw units) run on compressed natural gas, which he said reduces local emissions and is quieter than diesel. He also described a truck-mounted safety and service-verification system (referred to during the presentation as the 3rd Eye system and a back-end product name, Lytics); Raymer said CWD invested in the system in 2023 to provide near-real-time video tied to addresses so staff can review service disruptions and use footage for driver coaching.

Raymer also described a planned, annual cart-washing service that would be included in the contract renewal: residents could request one cart wash per year via phone, email or the CWD mobile app; CWD would retain the wash water on the vehicle. "That is included in the renewal agreement," Raymer said.

Council members asked about procurement timing and whether the improvements were planned before Lancaster's contract; Raymer said many vehicles were ordered during COVID and experienced lead-time delays, and that a smaller alley-capable truck is due in Q3–Q4 of this year. Paul Hansen, CWD's general manager, added that targeted alley repairs in some neighborhoods have helped crews access problem locations.

Residents in the meeting offered positive feedback on cart replacements but flagged early pickups and timing issues for brush collections; Raymer said crews sometimes 'pre-run' routes to get ahead of high spring volumes and will return on schedule if residents report a missed service.

The presentation preceded a short question-and-answer period; Raymer invited follow-up contact and said staff would respond to grievances reported to City Hall.

The council moved next to its regular meeting agenda after the special session adjourned at 7:16 p.m.