A municipal Public Works Department is critical to providing essential community services, ensuring a high quality of life for its residents. As communities in the Phoenix Metro are experiencing exponential growth, especially the Town of Gilbert, there are opportunities for regional collaboration for solid waste and recycling services. As the recycling economy is expected to continue growing, the Town of Gilbert aims to manage a resilient solid waste system to meet the demands of its growing population. Ideally, this system would involve regional partnerships to promote long-term sustainability across the Valley. These partnerships may extend beyond municipalities because Gilbert is open to collaborating with businesses, NGOs, counties, state agencies, and more.
The Town of Gilbert is interested in how other cities have engaged in models for regional collaboration related to environmental services, especially solid waste services. The Solid Waste & Recycling Services Division is collaborating with Master of Sustainability Leadership (MSL) capstone students to explore how the Town of Gilbert might create opportunities for regional collaboration on providing solid waste services. The following goals guided the student research :
- Assess how other cities have engaged in models for regional collaboration related to environmental services.
- Determine which regional collaboration best practices Gilbert can learn from, especially related environmental services, solid waste services, and combining resources to better prepare for the fast-growing solid waste and recycling economy.
- Assess which types of collaboration models better facilitate idea sharing, especially those that can be used to better prepare for the fast-growing solid waste and recycling economy.
- Design a roadmap for collaboration, identifying next steps and key stakeholders.
The students identified several key strategies for regional collaboration, including establishing circular economy hubs for shared knowledge and resources, introducing incentive programs for circular economy practices, creating a Collaboration Task Force to address specific waste management challenges, developing a digital platform for enhanced communication and data sharing, and engaging the Maricopa County Association of Governments (MAG) Solid Waste Advisory Committee for leadership in collaborative efforts. These strategies can foster a unified, resilient framework for solid waste management, promoting sustainability and overcoming barriers to collaboration with local businesses. The Town’s comprehensive approach aims to build a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable community, adapting to growth and aligning with global sustainability trends.