Evalu Filitaula
Solid Waste Services
By Suzanna Caldwell
When it comes to the neighborhoods of Anchorage, Evalu Filitaula has had a chance to experience them up close in his time with the Municipality.
In almost 12 years of working in refuse collection for Solid Waste Services, Filitaula has worked in every neighborhood in the service area, which stretches through most of the northern part of the city from Turnagain and South Addition to Mountain View and Fairview.
But what’s been most important in his time working for SWS is the ability to work and get to know people — both in the community and with his colleagues at the Municipality of Anchorage.
“It’s been a humbling experience,” Filitaula said.
For the past year, Filitaula has served as SWS general foreman, managing all the operators, vehicle maintenance and purchasing of equipment used to pick-up residential and commercial waste.
Filitaula started at the Municipality in December 2005 as a swamper, riding on the side of garbage trucks and manually tossing up to 18,000 pounds of trash into the back of the vehicle every day.
Filitaula, who moved to Alaska in 1996, took the job after spending years working in construction purchasing. The role left him behind a desk most days and he was eager to get outside and interact with the community. In his new role he was able to get out every day and meet people as he moved around the city collecting its trash.
In 2008 automated side loaders replaced the duties of swampers and Filitaula moved from outside to inside the garbage trucks. He drove every route in the service area from picking residential garbage cans to collecting dumpster routes for local businesses.
He later began working as a field route supervisor where he assisted the dozen drivers that head out each morning to collect trash.
That experience brought him patience and understanding as he often had to respond to customer concerns. Filitaula likes working with people and thinks his warm, friendly personality helps him connect with residents, even when people are upset.
“We have to be able to listen and hear both sides of the story,” he said. “And remind people that it’s only trash.”
That’s helped him transition into his new role, which includes having to work through complicated purchasing decisions and interact with the assembly. But he’s found that everyone works together within the Municipality, and there are always those willing to offer assistance.
“Everyone is really helpful,” he said. “We’re united, like a big team.”
When Filitaula isn’t working he’s often traveling to visit family in Seattle and California with his wife, Janeen, playing the drums, or cooking Samoan food.
