ReNews Spring 2016

SPRING 2016

DIRECTOR’S PRIDE AWARDS

Inspecting dumpsters to improve service.

REDUCING COMMUTES

ARR rises to the challenge.

AUSTIN RECYCLES GAMES

Recycling challenge winners announced.

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VIRGINIA ALEXANDER TAKES A BREAK DURING HER EARLY-MORNING SHIFT CLEANING LITTER AFTER SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST (PHOTO CREDIT: MIGUEL GUTIERREZ, JR., KUT NEWS).

ARR star employees shine.

DUMPSTER DIVING

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CONTENTS Director’s Message

Sleep and Safety for Operations Employees

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PAGE 6

Director Bob Gedert discusses the budget planning process and continually working to improve services and efficiency.

Getting enough sleep can be a matter of life and death for Operations employees.

Protecting Against Zika Virus PAGE 6

Learn about the Zika virus and how to protect yourself.

HR Corner

Austin Recycles Games

PAGE 7

PAGE 5 The Austin Recycles Games was a “win” for all of Austin.

Read about new employee training opportunities and the City’s new Employee Assistance Program provider.

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IN THE BIN FOR THE WIN

ARR Employees Go “Dumpster Diving” PAGE 8

Three teams inspected dumpsters downtown in order to learn about how businesses use ARR services.

Rethinking ReBlend PAGE 8

The Recycle & Reuse DropOff Center team innovates the ReBlend paint program with a new filtration process to save time and money.

ARR Employees Lead in Commute Reductions PAGE 9

Alternative transportation options help employees, the Department and the City.

Achievements PAGE 12

Highlights of some recent departmental accomplishments.

Director’s PRIDE Awards PAGE 10

ARR’s top employees recognized by the director.

Aiming Higher Awards PAGE 12

Aiming Higher winners “shoot for the stars.”

Staff Kudos PAGE 14

Customers, City officials and fellow employees recognize ARR employees for their hard work.

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Published April 2016

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DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

BY BOB GEDERT It’s that time of year once again – budget time! We’re working on our budget request for the 2017 fiscal year, which begins October 1, 2016. ARR managers submitted their requests for each division earlier this year. I am carefully reviewing the requests now, along with the Executive Team and budget staff. We will present our proposed budget to the Zero Waste Advisory Commission and the City Council beginning in May. The City Council is expected to discuss and adopt budgets for all City departments in September.

I expect more questions within the budget review process this year. In response to concerns about the cost of living in Austin, I expect the City Council, Zero Waste Advisory Commission and City management to ask questions about our services and expenses. This is part of the process, and I will be prepared to respond to these questions.

The good news is that the ARR management team is constantly working to make our services more cost-efficient. For example, we analyzed trash and recycling route data and reduced our miles traveled by approximately 50 percent since 2012. We’re traveling 700,000 fewer miles each year, reducing wear and tear on the vehicles and shrinking ARR’s carbon footprint by more than 1800 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

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Each year, our customers are surveyed by a third party about City of Austin services, including ARR services: curbside recycling, trash and yard trimming pickup; bulk pickup; cleanliness of City streets; and household hazardous waste disposal. In recent years, we have always been rated very well compared to other large US cities, and 2015 was no exception. On 5 out of 6 categories, we rated higher than other cities.

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The only category in which our customer satisfaction didn’t exceed other cities was household hazardous waste disposal. In a recent survey we conducted ourselves, we found that nearly 1/3 of respondents weren’t aware of the Recycle & Reuse Drop-Off Center, so we recognize the need to further promote the center and its services, including household hazardous waste disposal.

I also will propose program expansions to the City Council this year. As we work to achieve our Zero Waste goal, we are expected to expand our services to be able to recycle more and to compost food waste from homes. A recent survey of customers shows a strong desire for weekly recycling collection and an expansion of the Curbside Organics Collection Program to all customers. These program expansions will require a rate increase to be discussed with City Council.

I am committed to keeping all employees informed about things that affect our department as they are being discussed by City Council and the Zero Waste Advisory Commission (ZWAC). In the coming months, I will hold meetings with employees about these items and you will have an opportunity to share your thoughts and ask questions.

While we must continue improving our services, I strongly believe that ARR provides valuable services at a fair cost. One of my most important jobs as your Director is to present these facts to the City Council and advocate for resources you need to do for your jobs. I’ll spend much of my time over the next few months doing just that! If you have questions about the budget process or ideas for performing your job more efficiently, I encourage you to talk to your manager or contact me directly at bob.gedert@austintexas.gov.

ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION The Zero Waste Advisory Commission (ZWAC) is a group of citizens appointed by the Mayor and City Council. They review and analyze the policies and resources relating to solid waste management in the City and advise City Council on these matters.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Austin Other large US cities

RECYCLING PICKUP TRASH PICKUP

79%

YARD TRIMMINGS PICKUP

70%

BULK PICKUP

64%

CLEANLINESS OF CITY STREETS HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL

84%

73%

58% 50% 52%

64%

75%

74%

85%

GAME S

IN THE BIN FOR THE WIN

BY MEMI Cà RDENAS, PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST On Nov. 30 2015, we kicked off the Austin Recycles Games, a competition among the 10 city council districts to increase Austin’s recycling. The goal of the competition was to increase residential recycling rates while helping our customers overcome barriers to recycling.

We launched the competition in response to a community engagement initiative last August where we asked Austinites how we might help them recycle more. We surveyed all of Austin and more than 1500 residents responded with great ideas. Among them was the idea to make recycling a game and provide incentives.

The Austin Recycles Games calculated the pounds of recyclables collected per household in each district from Nov. 30 through April 1. There were two winning categories: Most Overall Recycling and Most Improved.

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Austin Recycles Games: District 8 for Most Overall Recycling and District 6 for Most Improved.

By the end of the four-month competition, District 8 recycled a total of 253 pounds per household to win Most Overall Recycling.

District 10 takes a close second in this category with an average of

GA ME S

IN THE BIN FOR THE WIN

250 pounds. District 8 maintained their No. 1 position for most of the Recycles Games, never falling out of the top three.

For their award, they will receive a beautification project for the Circle C Ranch Metropolitan Park.

District 6 increased their recycling by an impressive 44 percent to win the Most Improved category. They ended the competition recycling 62.65 pounds per household, compared to 43.63 pounds before the competition began. For their award, District 6 will receive a beautification project for the Spicewood Springs Library.

District 8 and District 6 won the Austin Recycles Games competition, but all of Austin benefitted from the Games. Overall, we started off strong, recycling 23 percent more in December than in the baseline month of October. In January, we were still ahead of the baseline by 6 percent, but February showed a decrease to 6 percent below the baseline. In the end, Austinites finished the Recycles Games with a nearly 7 percent increase in recycling citywide!

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PROTECTING

AGAINST

ZIKA SLEEP AND SAFETY

FOR OPERATIONS

EMPLOYEES

BY CHRIS WILLIAMS, SAFETY SPECIALIST SENIOR Trash and recycling collectors had the fifth highest rate of on-thejob deaths in 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

It’s a dangerous job, and being well-rested is one of the most important things you can do to improve your safety.

Here at Austin Resource Recovery, we work to promote and maintain a safety-first culture. As a society, we are all deprived of sleep and are not always as sharp and alert as we think. In our industry, we don’t have the luxury of taking a split second off. That split second could mean the difference in the lives of pedestrians, citizens and our employees. The consequences range from a minor injury, such as muscle strain, to death—and everything in between.

To prevent fatigue, we coach proper diet, exercise and adequate rest. Caffeine can help restore performance due to sleep deprivation; however, it can also make it harder to fall asleep at night, resulting in more daytime sleepiness. For that reason, caffeine should only be used in moderation.

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Exercise has a number of health benefits, including helping you feel more alert and awake. We partner with Healthy Connections during safety meetings to promote the health and well-being of our workforce and we require our field employees to “stretch-andgo” before each shift. Healthy Connections also offers exercise classes which are free to City of Austin employees. We emphasize the ways that exercise and stretching can help prevent injury, but the effect on wakefulness is also important.

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It’s very important to get a good night’s rest in order to stay alert.

Our employees operate and work around heavy equipment on a daily basis, so staying sharp and being alert is critical. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night, so make sure you’re taking the time you need to get fully rested. Nothing can fully cure or prevent sleepiness except a good night’s sleep.

VIRUS

BY DANA BLINDERT, OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY COORDINATOR The Zika virus is a disease that is usually spread through mosquito bites, but it can be spread through sexual contact.

The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting up to a week. People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital and they very rarely die of Zika; however, the virus is considered a public health threat because it can cause birth defects when pregnant women contract the virus. Currently, there is no vaccine against Zika.

The weather plays a large factor in the amount of mosquitoes we encounter each year. This year’s early spring with wetter weather and warmer temperatures will likely produce more mosquitoes than normal in Central Texas. There are several things you can do to prevent your exposure to the virus: • Keep your property free from standing water. This is the most important step you can take, because it prevents mosquito breeding. If you see standing water on City of Austin property, report it to your supervisor or the Safety division right away.

• When possible, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants to prevent mosquito bites.

• Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved insect repellant on unprotected skin. Follow the directions on the label and re-apply as needed. Insect repellant is available at the KGSC store.

• Use condoms to prevent sexual transmission.

• Avoid travel to parts of the world where the virus is widespread.

You can find the most current information at cdc.gov/zika.

For more information about what’s going on locally with the Zika virus, go to austintexas.gov/zika.

HR CORNER

BY ANU MANDAPATI, ARR HUMAN RESOURCES PERFORMANCE CONSULTANT TRAINING UPDATES Here’s a look at some of the new trainings we have started offering, as well as upcoming trainings:

• Depression • Anxiety • Interpersonal, family or marital conflicts • Domestic violence • Trauma: abuse and neglect • Crisis management • Grief: death and dying • ADHD and conduct problems • Substance abuse • Stress management • Childcare and eldercare • Occupational issues • Workplace violence • Financial, health and legal difficulties

Deer Oaks offers many services to help employees cope with the issues above, including the following:

• Telephone counseling to help decide on a course of action • Individual, marital, family and group therapy • Crisis intervention services • Supervisor/manager training • Comprehensive diagnostic assessments • Referrals for financial, legal or health plan needs

There are several ways you can learn more and access services: • Go to www.deeroakseap.com and enter austintexas.gov as both your username and password.

• Call Deer Oaks at 866-228-2542.

• To view and register for monthly online classes, go to the training calendar on the TRAIN website. Then scroll

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• In April, we will begin a new and improved interviewing skills class focusing on the employment application, phone interview and face-to-face interview. Attendees will be able to better understand all components of the interviewing process, practice their skills, receive immediate feedback and better prepare for interviews.

• In February, we held basic computer classes in the Project Connect lab at KGSC. We covered E-Career, E-Access, Outlook, HR Portal and other City sites. Classes were well-attended and we will have more hands-on sessions each quarter. Talk to your supervisor if you are interested; they will receive information as classes are scheduled.

• April marks the one-year anniversary of English as a second language (ESL) classes. We’ve partnered with the Literacy Coalition of Texas to create a specialized curriculum for our employees to increase their confidence and improve English comprehension and speaking in the workplace. We just renewed our contract for a second year and students will attend from May through September on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

• ARR New Employee Orientation (NEO) has been revamped to be more interactive, engaging and fun! We have also streamlined the content to be more concise, easy to understand and organized. Employees also receive training and a checklist to ensure they meet all 30day, 60-day, 90-day and annual training requirements.

• The citywide customer service initiative is coming soon to ARR. All City departments will participate in this training to enhance our customer service skills. The goal is to provide the best service – Every employee. Every encounter. Every time. You will attend this training with your team so pre-registration is not required. Stay tuned for details.

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Our new Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider is Deer Oaks. All services are free and 100% confidential for all City of Austin employees. This means that no City employees will know if you use this service. The EAP can help employees with any issue that affects emotional, cognitive, behavioral or interpersonal wellbeing, including the following:

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ARR EMPLOYEES GO “DUMPSTER DIVING”

BY MICHAEL ZAVALA, IT-GEOSPATIAL ANALYST AND SHIRLEY DUNCAN, WASTE DIVERSION PLANNER SENIOR

RETHINKING REBLEND

BY DAWN WHIPPLE, ASSISTANT DIVISION MANAGER In an effort to support the City’s Zero Waste goal, the Recycle & ReUse Drop-Off Center team is always looking for new ways to increase our efficiency while providing the best customer service possible. One example of this is our continuing effort to improve the Austin ReBlend paint program, which provides free recycled paint to the public and reduces the amount of paint going to the landfill.

You may be wondering “how can we improve this already great program?” It’s simple: we improve the paint-recycling process to increase quantity, quality or efficiency. We recently updated our filtration process and met all three of those goals!

We moved from a standalone external filter to an internally connected filtration system. The old filtration system had to be placed in the vat of paint and cleaned approximately 10 times each day; this was messy and time-consuming. The filter did not have much surface area, so it clogged up quickly. The old system also lacked the capacity for finer filtration.

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Our new, internal filter saves the City of Austin time and money. It only needs to be cleaned twice a day, it is easier to clean, and it allows us to mix and filter paint faster. Additionally, we can now use finer filters, resulting in an even better product. Soon we will begin using a 300-micron size filter, which will bring ReBlend up to the same filtration standard as the retail paint industry.

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Producing higher-quality paint and diverting more paint from the landfill—these are just two of the ways the Recycle & ReUse DropOff Center team is doing its part to help Austin reach Zero Waste!

“Let me get this straight – you want us to go dumpster diving along ‘Dirty 6th’ at 1 a.m.? Sign me up!”

That’s exactly what three teams of ARR employees did during the early morning hours of January 22 and February 2. ARR’s Quality Assurance (QA), Finance and Strategic Initiatives (SI) divisions organized a search mission to look at the dumpsters in the Central Business District (CBD). The CBD is an important ARR service area; learning more about how these customers use our services can help us plan our Zero Waste education initiatives and help us address budgeting concerns about the services we provide in the area.

The teams devised a plan to inspect 54 garbage and 39 recycling dumpsters in the alleyways of East 6th Street, from Red River to Brazos Street. Three teams set out in the early morning hours to observe what was in the dumpsters and what businesses are putting in them.

To do this, each team was given an iPad equipped with a new mobile geo-collector application that had a map of the area dumpsters and a list of questions tagged to each specific dumpster. As each dumpster was inspected, a team member selected the dumpster on the geo-collector app and answered the questions. The app also had the ability to take pictures and video that could be tagged to that dumpster as well.

Not only was this the first time ARR assessed the waste in the Central Business District, but it was the first time we used this type of technology – and it was a success! The teams gathered a lot of useful information and the geo-collector app recorded every step along the way.

But the real tribute is owed to the dedicated teams that conducted the assessment: their tireless efforts and comradery showed exceptional teamwork between ARR divisions, and it was a true demonstration of our Director’s PRIDE Values. A big “thank you” to everyone who participated!

• QUALITY ASSURANCE: Michael Zavala, Andrea Francis, Shirley Duncan

• STRATEGIC INITIATIVES: Nathan Shaw-Meadow, Maddie Morgan, Teresa Chapman, Tom Gleason

• FINANCE: Hope Davis, Elizabeth Corey, Robert Anderson, CJ Sisco, Jonathan Mays, David McCluggage

ARR Employees Lead in Commute Reductions

BY AMANDA NOBLE, HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST, AND WOODY RAINE, PLANNER SENIOR

Last April, Austin City Manager Marc Ott charged department heads with reducing single-occupancy commute trips during peak hours by 20 percent to make Austin a better place to live and work.

Austin Resource Recovery stepped up to the challenge. Last May, ARR reported more than 78 percent of ARR employees’ commutes were already either off-peak or via alternate transportation like vanpooling, bus or bike. Even with the department already at high marks, ARR division directors encouraged their staff to consider ways to further reduce on-peak commutes either by commuting during off-peak times, by using alternatives to driving alone or by not commuting at all (teleworking).

The result was that 80 percent of ARR commutes are now off peak, ridesharing or other alternatives, which earned ARR citywide recognition for the most reductions for a mid-size City department!

Knowing the department can do even more, we’ve gathered a support group to work with consultants from Movability Austin to develop an ARR Mobility Plan – the first and, to date, only mobility plan among City departments.

WALK TO WORK

Troy Gilliam, Operator Specialist Senior, reduces his impact on Austin traffic congestion and air pollution by walking to work. What a great way to do your part and get some exercise!

SOUTH AUSTIN VANPOOL

ARR employee Gena McKinley lists lots of reasons why she’s driven a CapMetro vanpool since mid2014. One benefit is that she saves gas and mileage on her personal car. Getting to know Tom Gleason, Michael Zavala, Amanda Noble, other ARR staff is one of Gena McKinley and Elizabeth Corey the biggest bonuses for Gena, not to mention being in on the latest news from other parts of ARR. HYBRID COMMUTE

Not everyone has easy access to one of the buses that drop off passengers near Rutherford Lane Center, so Jeana Kingsbury offered to fill the gap with a vanpool. Meeting her coworkers at the Domain bus stop or the Kramer Lane MetroRail station gives her passengers a hybrid option: ride the bus or the rails to the vanpool pickup point.

Mobility Coordinators Woody Raine and Amanda Noble pose with ARR’s trophy.

The Mobility Plan finds ways to help the department (helping retain workers because they’re less stressed from a morning commute), the employees (less stress, more productivity) and the facility (fewer cars, more parking choices).

If you haven’t already, please check out the ARR Mobility Program SharePoint page to calculate your alternate-commute savings, find carpool or vanpool mates, or plan your transit trip.

BIKE TO WORK

Financial Consultant Brent Paige uses his mountain bike to commute. He plans to increase his biking from two to four times a week as his fitness improves and weather allows.

ReNews is seeking photographers to capture people and events at KGSC, THE RECYCLE & REUSE DROP-OFF CENTER AND THE LANDFILL. All you need is a camera (or a really good camera phone). Photographers will receive newsletter credit for all published photos. No commitment is necessary – we’ll work with you and your supervisor to make sure participation doesn’t interfere with regular work duties.

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CONTACT MELISSA HEALD (MELISSA.HEALD@AUSTINTEXAS.GOV OR 512-974-9216) FOR DETAILS.

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DIRECTOR’S PRIDE AWARDS

P R I D E

engagement

ublic service &

one another and with We will partner with possible. ide the best service our community to prov

esponsibility &

accountability

for achieving results We take responsibility for our actions. ourselves accountable

and hold

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a lasting, positive good ideas that have We actively seek out our environment. our community and impact on our work,

Director’s PRIDE Awards recognize employees that exceptionally demonstrated the City’s PRIDE values throughout the fiscal year. In September, each Division Manager nominates two or three employees by submitting a short description of how the nominee demonstrates all five PRIDE values in their daily work. The nomination must be for either one exceptional action or for consistently exceeding normal job expectations.

The Director reviews the nominations and selects the recipients.

Awards are given to one employee per division, with the exception of Collection Services and Litter Abatement, where two employees are selected. These divisions receive two awards because of the size of their workforces.

ion

iversity & inclus

ives, ct a variety of perspect We recognize and respe us achieve our oaches that will help experiences and appr s. goal l organizationa

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thics & integrit

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dence tain the trust and confi Our actions will main organization. of the public and the

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In addition to recognition in the newsletter, recipients receive a framed certificate, eight hours of administrative leave, a $100 gift card, recognition on social media and their names read into the record at a televised Zero Waste Advisory Commission (ZWAC) meeting.

Arturo Rojas, Collections

Sir Derrick Lott, Collections

Considered by his work group as the “go-to guy,” Arturo will take on any task to help others.

He volunteers to train and work beyond his job title when the department is shorthanded.

He is an exemplary team player, offering new employees encouraging words or assistance on their routes. After nearly being struck by lightning on his route, he now talks about weather safety to employees to make sure they are prepared.

Sir Derrick’s dedication and hard work do not go unnoticed.

During a storm, one observer was so amazed by his patience and commitment in helping citizens that they took pictures of him working and emailed the crew’s supervisor. He is quick to get to work, proactively looks for ways he can help others and takes great pride in his work.

helping the Customer Service department be the best it can be. He always goes the extra mile to make sure his tasks get done properly and punctually, from doing the mail run every day to covering dispatch, answering phones and processing code service requests. David has a constant desire to learn more about the department and seek out new information to be a better colleague and employee.

Vekessa Malveaux, Finance

Orlando Reyes, Diversion Facilities

David Daily, Customer Service

David is the ultimate team player who is dedicated to

asks other employees and departments for ideas and recommendations to improve procedures.

His positive attitude and dedication make him a valuable asset to the City’s vision of being the bestmanaged city.

Orlando takes pride in being a careful steward of taxpayer dollars, as demonstrated by his commitment and resourcefulness. He located equipment other departments were no longer using instead of purchasing additional equipment, and he routinely

Team members appreciate Vekessa for her reliability and positive outlook. She can be depended on to always complete her assigned work and to take on additional duties to help others. Vekessa is always friendly, approachable and respectful to everyone she comes into contact with. She embodies the PRIDE values on an ongoing basis.

Amanda Noble, Human Resources

Amanda has been an essential member of the HR team. Her aptitude for technology led her to recognize the need for consolidated information, so she went beyond her job description to design and construct databases for the Employee Relations team. Due to her knowledge of and passion for technology, Amanda has been asked by both Safety and Quality Assurance Divisions to help design databases. She is also the coordinator of ARR’s Mobility Program and serves leadership roles with various committees. Her passion, drive and abilities have made a great impact during her time with ARR.

Kevin Roland, Litter Abatement

Katrina Fenrick, Quality Assurance

Kevin regularly partners with both internal and external customers to understand the perspective of multiple stakeholders, helping identify potential solutions when issues arise or important decisions need to be made. He has strong professional integrity and can be depended on for commendable completion of tasks and follow-up with customers.

Katrina has become an ARR all-star in the Quality Assurance Division through her roles as a leader in areas such as technology development, finance and emergency response. Katrina leads a diverse and skilled team that accomplishes tasks such as map making and city development. She is hard at work developing technology to map collection routes that includes data on customer cart size to help ARR conduct cart audits and increase revenue.

Katrina’s colleagues can always count on her to go the extra mile for the team.

Robert Williams, Operational Administration

Tim Hill, Safety

Jerry Wright, Litter Abatement

Tim routinely takes initiative to find solutions and improvements that provide tangible benefits to the department and the City. His knowledge and experience has established him as a subject matter expert for Operations, Safety and Training. His work updating and standardizing employee training records and his development of a training database were instrumental steps toward meeting the Department’s new districting goals. Tim’s commitment to the department is evident through his inclusive and strategic

Woody Raine, Strategic Initiatives

Woody’s innovative work has been instrumental in putting together the Construction and Demolition Recycling Ordinance. He has found unique ways to partner with new groups to get them involved and gather contributions.

Woody also brainstormed new and innovative ways to run the program, such as online reporting and an educational component to provide ongoing instruction to those impacted by the ordinance. Woody is an asset to the Division and the City due to his hard-working and strategic approach to sustainability.

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Jerry consistently exhibits PRIDE values through his commitment in the areas of public service and engagement.

He provides excellent customer service—he is always willing to help. One customer emailed Jerry’s supervisor expressing how appreciative she was when Jerry helped her resolve an issue with the previous property owner’s cans after she moved. She was grateful for the extra time and effort Jerry gave to help her.

Robert is a strong communicator who takes time to speak with and educate customers and citizens. In addition to taking classes after work hours to improve his computer skills, he has written multiple sections of the operator’s manuals. Robert actively meets commitments and furthers his value to the team.

approach to challenges and problem-solving.

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ACHIEVEMENTS

SUPERVISOR ACADEMY

BOB GEDERT ELECTED NRC PRESIDENT Congratulations to Director Bob Gedert for being elected president of the National Recycling Coalition!

The NRC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and improving recycling in the United States. NRC’s network includes more than 6,000 members involved in waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting.

Elections were held at the winter board meeting in December.

Gedert previously served as an NRC board member.

“The NRC Board of Directors represent strong leadership experience from recycling organizations, nonprofit organizations, businesses, trade associations, individuals, local, state and federal government, unified in the mission to support local recycling programs that are committed to the conservation of natural resources,” Gedert said. “I stand ready to support this mission through inclusion of all partners within the American recycling system”.

STATE OF TEXAS ALLIANCE FOR RECYCLING (STAR) AWARD

Celebrating Supervisor Academy Graduation (pictured from left to right: Joya Hayes, Tiesha Payne, Brent Paige, Julia McCarthy, Janice Yarbrough, Bob Gedert, David McCluggage, Teri Jeffries, Andrea Francis, David Champ, Corey Anderson, Angie Bryant, Bobby Baker, Lee Houston, Elizabeth Corey, Emlea Chanslor and Bert Lumbreras)

The Supervisor Academy provides supervisors the critical skills needed to succeed in their roles. City of Austin supervisors bring a wide range of experience to their role–for some, it is their first experience in a leadership role; others bring years of experience– and the Academy is designed to meet the needs of both groups.

CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION (C&D) RECYCLING ORDINANCE The Zero Waste Program Development Team in the Strategic Initiatives Division deserves praise for a major policy milestone they achieved in March: after several years of research and stakeholder negotiations, City Council adopted a Construction and Demolition (C&D) Recycling Ordinance.

C&D materials make up at least 20 percent of the private waste stream generated in Austin; now, we can require 50 percent diversion of that waste on all construction projects that are 5,000 square feet or more. This huge accomplishment involved educating the public, communicating with businesses, coordinating with various departments and working with stakeholders.

Business Outreach Team Members Teresa Chapman, Aiden Cohen, Roslyn Kygar, Maddie Morgan and Sarah Hoover

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On Nov. 5, 2015, ARR’s Business Outreach Team was recognized by the State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) with a first place award for Outstanding Environmental Public Education and Outreach Program. This award is meaningful because the field of competitors includes organizations throughout all of Texas and is focused on promoting and educating the public about the importance of Zero Waste. Providing the Austin business community with the Zero Waste tools and resources to be successful is necessary to achieve the City’s Zero Waste Goal, especially since the Austin business community produces approximately 75 percent of the materials discarded in Austin.

ARR’s Business Outreach Team works cooperatively with Austin businesses and properties to find cost-effective solutions to implement effective recycling and diversion programs.

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AIMING HIGHER AWARDS David Manor, Litter Abatement

David’s colleagues in Litter Abatement value his innovation and focus on sustainability. David saved the division time and money by providing aboveaverage maintenance and carburetor repair on City blowers. His skills and deep mechanical knowledge are an asset to the division.

Greg Miller, Diversion Facilities

Greg aims higher by thinking outside the box and constantly working to improve the Diversion Facilities division. Greg went above the scope of his job duties by developing an alternate filtering process for Austin ReBlend paint. He assembled it himself, and the new filter is now incorporated into the paint-making process. Greg’s process is cleaner, faster, and decreases the muddying of paint.

Susanne Harm, Strategic Initiatives

Susanne is constantly available to answer questions, assist with projects and attend immediately to urgent tasks – all while keeping a smile on her face and a professional demeanor.

with colleagues who take initiative and react calmly and strategically when help is needed.

SKYLAR SMITH, DANIEL HERNANDEZ, VEKESSA MALVEAUX, ADAM ARRIAGA AND ROBERT ANDERSON, FINANCE

Skylar Smith, Finance

Skylar goes above and beyond for the City in his work with the ARR Billing Revenue Recovery Project.

He has analyzed more than 142,000 spreadsheet line items to ensure all City customers are billed correctly.

Skylar’s colleagues greatly appreciate his positive attitude, attention to detail and many late hours spent working on projects.

As members of the ARR Billing team, Skylar, Daniel, Vekessa, Adam and Robert (not pictured) have gone above and beyond their normal duties, taking on three additional projects that require a large amount of manual processing.

In addition, they have assisted another finance workgroup with their workload while waiting for new staff to start.

CHRIS FARR, FRED CAUSEY, DAVID CALDERON AND LAWRENCE MARTIN, LITTER ABATEMENT

around multiple postal locations, so David took it upon himself to repeatedly call and visit the locations. Because of David’s efforts, when a postal worker found the package he recognized it and it was retrieved.

instructors as excellent. Susanne and Teresa exhibited true teamwork and poise.

Jose Salas, Litter Abatement

Tom Gleason and Iby Setzer, Strategic Initiatives

Tom and Iby jumped at the opportunity to volunteer for the City’s Combined Charities activities and achieved inspiring results. They set a goal to reach $500 and exceeded it with more than $1,000 in donations.

Their activities resulted in positive team building and fundraising for good causes.

A citizen called to compliment Jose for his exemplary behavior while driving on his route. Jose took the time to pull over and help a citizen on the side of the road with car trouble. Austin residents and Jose’s colleagues appreciate his hard work and willingness to help those in need.

CJ Sisco, Finance

Angie Bryant, Litter Abatement

Daniel Hernandez, Finance

Daniel is a true team player in the Finance division. He’s always volunteering to help colleagues with their assignments in addition to completing his own assigned work. Daniel also volunteered to serve as a tester for a new billing system for ARR rates. He is customer-oriented and always strives to help his team get the work done.

After the Halloween flood, Chris, Fred, David and Lawrence (David and Lawrence not pictured) committed to helping in the aftermath. With great dedication to helping the community, they worked four consecutive weeks on their days off, tirelessly working 10-hour days to aid the community.

Trena Carter, Quality Assurance

Adam Valdez and Matthew Flores, Litter Abatement

Adam and Matthew are always willing to lend a helping hand. While driving in September, they witnessed a vehicle collision. Adam helped the citizen from the vehicle while Matthew assisted another citizen whose vehicle was sitting directly on top of another car. Adam and Matthew’s coworkers are grateful to work

In addition to the wide scope of duties Trena has taken upon herself to help her team, she regularly gives back to the community. She is a mentor and tutor volunteer and regularly volunteers with the elderly. Her public service and commitment to the community has led to her being inducted as a member of the National Women of Achievement.

David Daily, Customer Service

Susanne Harm and Teresa Chapman, Strategic Initiatives

Susanne and Teresa are constantly striving to do more for the ARR team and their colleagues.

They stepped up without hesitation to teach a composting class when the hired instructor couldn’t make it. The class participants had no idea Susanne and Teresa were not the original instructors, and they rated the information and

Jo Gutierrez, Finance

Jo goes above and beyond as a team player in both the Finance and Strategic Initiatives Divisions. Jo works tirelessly with contractors to negotiate the best value for the City. She’s recently managed several high-profile purchases, carefully reviewing estimates and contracts to ensure accuracy and timeliness.

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David is appreciated for his thoughtfulness and dedication to his team members. In December, a package containing gifts for retiring employees was lost. It was being sent

Angie always goes above and beyond her job description and maintains a positive, welcoming attitude. Even when she’s busy with a full work load, she takes the time to stop what she’s doing to help her colleagues and teammates, no matter what department they work in. Angela’s entire department greatly appreciates all that she does. Angie always goes above and beyond her job description and maintains a positive, welcoming attitude. Even when she’s busy with a full workload, she takes the time to stop what she’s doing to help her colleagues and teammates, no matter what department they work in. Angela’s entire department greatly appreciates all that she does.

CJ provides high-quality and thorough work for the finance department, especially on tight deadlines and under intense pressure. She recently worked after hours to ensure correct handling of a complex utility billing error before it went to City Council. CJ’s research, excellent communication and ability to understand detailed and complex billing issues make her an asset to the department and the City.

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STAFF KUDOS HALLOWEEN FLOOD RESPONSE

Council Member Ann Kitchen’s office expressed their appreciation for the ARR staff’s response to the historic torrential rain and flooding on Halloween. ARR staff was on the front lines, working extra hours and removing debris from the flood zones. During a City Council-held meeting, residents (despite all they had been through) voiced immense gratitude for ARR’s flood relief response. Director Bob Gedert expressed that the efforts of ARR showed great care and professionalism in a time of need.

CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING PROGRAM Joe Washington from Austin Parks and Recreation thanked ARR for its work recycling and transforming Christmas trees into mulch. Christmas tree recycling helped keep trees out of landfills and public streets and turned them into useful and fragrant mulch.

Patrick Clark, Residential Collections Team Patrick was performing a quality check of a route when he saw a parked truck that was on fire. He acted quickly, calling dispatch and then helping extinguish the fire while waiting for the fire department to arrive.

Chris Simpson and Henry Mackey, Litter Control Team

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A citizen called to compliment Chris and Henry, who were collecting bulk items from the Halloween flood at her neighbor’s house. She hadn’t requested her items to be picked up and hadn’t gotten her things to the curb yet, but Henry and Chris helped her. She said she was brought to tears by how nice, understanding and helpful Chris and Henry were.

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Todd Tschudi and Sylvia Smallwood, Customer Service Marcus Gonzalez thanked Todd and Sylvia for stepping up and taking additional duties while another teammate had been out.

Marcus said, “they are selfless with their contributions to the team to get the job done. It’s a pleasure to work with them on a daily basis.”

Joshua Sermons, Residential Team A citizen called in appreciation of Joshua’s efforts and patience in cleaning the citizen’s street. He stated that it had been years since the street was completely cleaned, due to abandoned vehicles that had just recently been removed. The customer thanked Joshua for making multiple passes and taking the time to get the job done right.

Robert Garcia, Street Cleaning Team A customer called to compliment Robert on his excellent job sweeping the streets. Robert took his time to ensure the street was thoroughly and safely swept, and he even went back over it a second time to make sure it was as clean as possible.

Franklin Farr, Street Cleaning Team A grateful citizen called 3-1-1 to thank Franklin for doing a great job cleaning her street.

Michael Torres, Residential Team A citizen called 3-1-1 to thank Michael for stopping to help him move his trash cart. The small gesture went a long way.

Rodney Diggs, Dead Animal Collection Team Rodney is appreciated for his quick response to service needs. A citizen called in to thank Rodney for arriving within 15 minutes of the call to collect a dead deer.

Alan Limuel, Dead Animal Collection Team Alan received a call about a dead dog that was dumped in a neighborhood. An Austin resident posted a glowing review on Yelp for Alan’s kind, professional and prompt response to the situation.

Employees like Alan are one reason Austin is such a great place to live.

Litter Collection Crew After a customer Tweeted a photo of overflowing trash cans downtown, the Litter Collection Crew was on site within an hour.

Austin citizens appreciate the crew’s quick response and hard work.

Tom Fulmer, Brent Paige and Elizabeth Corey, Finance Division Emlea Chanslor sends a special “thank you” to Tom, Brent and Elizabeth for their assistance with a recent article in the Austin American-Statesman.

All three provided financial and contracts information to reporters on strict deadline, despite having many projects on their own agendas. Their work and cooperation was very helpful to the reporters and to ARR.

Tammie Williamson, ARR Assistant Director Finance Division Manager Jessica Frazier is grateful to have Tammie available as a resource and for her willingness to go above and beyond to lend a helping hand to the team. Her colleagues value her wise and caring demeanor in the office.

Amanda Noble, Human Resources and Woody Raine, Strategic Initiatives

Michael Sullivan praised Amanda’s and Woody’s remarkable work on the ARR Mobility Program to help implement alternative work schedules. This initiative has helped reduce peak-time commuting and lessen the environmental impact of vehicle emissions. Michael also thanked Amanda for her focused problem-solving and creative thinking as president of the Awards and Recognition Committee and co-facilitator of the SharePoint Board.

Maddie Morgan, Strategic Initiatives Environmental Program Coordinator Marc Coudert (from the City Manager’s Office) recognized Maddie as an example of the best the City has to offer, due to the excellent training and customer service she provides. Castle Hill Fitness also thanked Maddie for her training about composting and recycling. They were so excited and surprised by what they learned that they wrote a blog post spreading the knowledge Maddie had shown them.

Memi Cárdenas, Strategic Initiatives ARR Director Bob Gedert complimented Memi for her many fantastic interviews on Austin news channels. Memi always presents recycling in a fun and engaging way for viewers.

Erin Benoit, Administration Erin has done a great job with the often-overlooked but necessary task of leading the vital and historic records management effort for ARR. She organized members of the records team over multiple weekends for a dusty and dirty comb-through of historic brownfields records. She also coordinated a “shred day” to destroy old paper records (in accordance with City policies).

Do you know an ARR staff member or group who

SHOOTS FOR THE STARS???

Jeana Kingsbury, Jennifer Vargas, Amanda Gomez, Sandra Schirmer, Megan Ontiveros and Meagan Herndon, HR Employment Team

HR Division Manager Blanche Quarterman sends her kudos to the HR employment team for their hard work. The team tracks and process hundreds of applications for ARR vacancies each month, while maintaining one of the lowest job vacancy rates in the City of Austin. The department and the City greatly appreciate all the team does to bring aboard excellent employees.

Memi Cárdenas, Smith Julmisse, Iby Setzer, Susanne Harm, Hannah Kronke and Jason McCombs, Strategic Initiatives

Kudos to the Strategic Initiatives Division for their collective efforts on the Chinese New Year event, which was a huge success. Memi worked with translators to ensure materials were available in Chinese and Vietnamese, Smith designed the materials, Iby organized and attended the event, Hannah and Jason attended, and Susanne distributed recycling and composting materials to businesses in the Chinatown area.

Katrina Fenrick, Quality Assurance Katrina has really stepped up lately and assisted Mike Turner in the transition of working with two divisions: QA and Safety.

Ron Neumond and Maddie Morgan, Strategic Initiatives Division

them for the

AIMING HIGHER AWARD Contact any Awards & Recognition Committee Member Contact any Awards and Recognition Committee Member (or any Division Manager) for More Info and a Nomination Form (or any Division Manager) for more information and a Current Awards & Recognition Committee Members: nomination form.

Current Awards & Recognition Committee Bill Garrett  Marcus Gonzalez  Jo Gutierrez  LaPree Habbit  Melisa Hatherly  Marcia Jones Members: Jesse Langley  Amanda Noble  Ray Pilgrim  Michael Sullivan  Johnny Williams Award winners will receive a GIFT CARD and will be recognized in the next ARR Newsletter!

• Bill Garrett • Marcus Gonzalez • Jo Gutierrez • LaPree Habbit • Melisa Hatherly • Marcia Jones

• Jesse Langley • Amanda Noble • Ray Pilgrim • Michael Sullivan • Johnny Williams

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Austin ARMA President William Basinger thanked Ron and Maddie for their efforts to help make the Austin ARMA 3rd Annual Shred Day the most successful fall Shred Day ever. Volunteers served 726 residents and collected 60,000 lbs. of paper and 2,000 lbs. of cardboard, saving 842 trees and more than 346,000 gallons of water!

If so -

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What would

you like to see in ReNews?

TONY DUDLEY AND STEVEN DAVIS WORK HARD CLEANING UP AFTER SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST. (PHOTO CREDIT: MIGUEL GUTIERREZ, JR., KUT NEWS)

ARR’s marketing team is creating an internal

communication plan to improve the way

information is shared in our department.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN RENEWS? Email Melissa Heald at melissa.heald@austintexas.gov with any of the following: • Guest columns • Photos • Employee profiles and recognition • Special projects • Events • Suggestions for improvement

Be sure to follow Austin Resource Recovery on facebook at

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facebook.com/austinrecycles.

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You can also sign up for ARR’s e-newsletter and read our blog at

austinrecycles.com.