Miami adopts Rubicon’s SmartCity software

Rubicon, a New York City-based digital marketplace for waste and recycling and a global provider of software-based products for businesses and governments, has entered into a three-year partnership with the city of Miami, which will use the company’s SmartCity software to enhance its residential waste and recycling services.

The agreement will position Rubicon’s SmartCity software at the heart of Miami’s Department of Solid Waste Management (MDWSM). Rubicon will help the department transition from largely manual and paper-based processes to a digital operation as part of Miami’s resilience planning efforts. The city will use Rubicon’s technology to balance its waste and recycling routes to streamline collection, track material and tonnage on its bulky trash routes and reduce missed pickups. With new routes in place, the Department of Solid Waste will closely monitor route performance, identify areas where waste and recycling services can be improved and make data-driven decisions to enhance route efficiency and better serve the Miami community.

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“The goal of Miami’s Department of Solid Waste is to promote a safe, clean, and healthy environment while delivering a comprehensive, cost-effective and environmentally sound solid waste management service for our residents,” Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez says. “I look forward to working with Rubicon alongside the great men and women of our Department of Solid Waste to improve our city’s operations and give the residents of Miami the most efficient waste and recycling collection experience possible.”

With a growing population of 442,241, Miami is a global technology and sustainability hub. In conjunction with its work with Rubicon, Miami says it hopes to be numbered among the most sustainable cities in the world. This city has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050, and last year announced it had achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification. LEED, created by the U.S. Green Building Council, is the world’s most widely used green building rating system.

“Rubicon is dedicated to helping cities become smarter, more efficient and more effective,” Rubicon Senior Vice President of SmartCity Conor Riffle says. “Miami is one of our country’s most unique and culturally significant cities; it is a global tech hub, and we are thrilled to bring Rubicon’s unique technology to the city to power a core service: waste and recycling collection.”

SmartCity is a way for cities, counties and other municipalities to more efficiently manage heavy-duty fleets and waste and recycling operations.

The city participated in a free trial of Rubicon's software in 2022, according to a 2022 memorandum of understanding between the city and Rubicon. Miami was able to try out Rubicon's technology in 10 of its 250 trucks. The trial included app-based software, smartphones and a custom web portal through which the city could monitor live data.