This paper proposes an ant colony optimization algorithm for a capacitated vehicle routing problem to determine the shortest waste collection and transportation route covered by a waste collection truck in the Şahinbey municipality of Gaziantep/Turkey. The real-case problem concerns a capacity-restricted garbage compactor truck that collects and transports waste from 349 residential waste containers located in 148 collection points. Possible solutions obtained from the ant colony algorithm were compared with mixed-integer programming model solutions. The results of the proposed ant colony optimization algorithm showed that our model yields a 28% reduction in the total daily traveled distances and energy savings against existing consumption. The new solution also cuts the current annual waste collection and transportation expenditure per vehicle by 30%. It is shown that a considerably shorter route distance obtained in the algorithmic solution helps to reduce air pollution from the infamously inefficient garbage collection trucks. Eventually, the new route will considerably reduce labor costs, the high price of fuel, machinery and equipment maintenance as well as environmental pollution, because garbage compactor trucks are one of the least efficient vehicles on the road.