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Broken Arrow solid-waste director touts recycling gains, outlines service upgrades
Summary
Solid Waste and Recycling Director Jerry Schubert told the authority the city’s recycling program grew from about 1,390 tons in its first year to roughly 5,235 tons last year and outlined new equipment, route changes and a bulky-item online scheduler to improve service.
Jerry Schubert, the city’s Solid Waste and Recycling Director, gave the Broken Arrow Municipal Authority an annual progress report, saying the department has expanded services and improved route efficiency while responding to sharp cost increases for trucks, labor and disposal.
"We have embodied the more with less mindset," Schubert said, describing staffing adjustments, reclassified positions and additions to the fleet. He reported that recycling volume grew from roughly 1,390 tons in the program’s first short year to about 5,235 tons last calendar year, and highlighted outreach efforts at farmers markets, school carnivals and other community events.
Schubert said the department added five trucks and two drivers in the year after a recycling facility fire and rerouted city routes for efficiency. He described a new online bulky-item scheduler that residents can use at any hour and credited volunteer cleanup efforts that yielded hundreds of bags of trash and recyclables.
The director also reviewed rate-model changes implemented in recent years, including higher tipping fees and other adjustments intended to reflect rising operating costs. He described equipment purchases now running at about $450,000 per truck and said the department has shifted some work to side-load trucks to reduce labor per stop.
Schubert closed by inviting questions and said staff will continue to bring proposed capital and rate changes to the authority for review.
