Compliance Alert & Reporting System (CARS)

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

The County of Orange operates three of the largest active landfills in California, and is legally obliged to comply with numerous regulations from federal, state and local agencies. In fulfillment of these obligations, OC Waste and Recycling’s (OCWR) Regulatory Support Services section submits 1,500 data sets and generates 200 reports annually for compliance. Missing any of these submittals puts the County at risk for fines and negative regulatory reaction. To help manage the massive amount of data, OCWR collaborated with OC Information Technology (OCIT) to develop the Compliance Alert and Reporting System (CARS). CARS is a web-based, task and record management application, whose purpose is to keep track of periodical inspections performed in waste management operations. Its main features include:  An automated email alert system to remind users of incoming or due inspections;  A task assignment system that allows workload management;  A tracking and auditing tool for Regulatory Support and Site Staff. The pilot program ran from July 1, 2017 until September 1, 2017. In less than a year of operation, CARS resulted in a 60% reduction in time spent on back and forth communication, an 80% reduction in time spent on locating data, and a 90% reduction in time spent on setting up and distributing monthly reminders and follow-up reminders.