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Trash-pickup scooters to cut costs for city
(by Sali McSherry - October 01, 2009)
Trash-pickup scooters to cut costs for city
By SALI McSHERRY
Beginning in January, Pepper Pike will change its rubbish-collection system to save money, but it won't affect the high level of service, Mayor Bruce H. Akers said.
The city plans to eliminate its current mini-packers and switch to scooters to collect residential solid waste and recycling material. The city will continue its back-door and rear-yard collection program, he said. Instead of large trucks driving in and backing out of driveways, service personnel will use small, four-wheel-drive scooters, he said. The savings will be considerable, Mr. Akers said.
For example, the scooters cost $30,000, while the mini-packers cost $95,000.
The city plans to purchase four of them, Service Director Robert Girardi said.
Scooters use between six and eight gallons of fuel per week, while the mini-packers use 40 gallons per week, Mr. Akers said. Also, fewer personnel will be needed, he said.
Over a seven-year period, he said, the new approach could result in a net savings to the city of $2.5 million.
Like other communities, Pepper Pike has experienced a reduction in tax revenue. And while the reduction is not severe, all city departments have been directed to reduce expenditures by the end of the year, Mr. Akers said.
By using the new approach, the city only will need one crew Monday through Thursday and still maintain special pickups on Friday, he said.
One transfer packer will park on the street of the homes being collected, while the scooters will go into individual driveways to pick up the rubbish, Mr. Akers said.
"The city expects each scooter to handle between five and seven homes at a time, and then drive to the parked transfer packer to dispose of the rubbish. Then it continues to the next set of homes. Two scooters will be used to cover a street."
Pepper Pike will join several other communities in Cuyahoga County that use scooters in rubbish removal, including Shaker Heights, University Heights and Rocky River.
Mr. Girardi explored the approach and Mr. Akers said he spoke with the mayors of those communities who were very positive about the system.
Several weeks ago, he said, "I rode with some of the rubbish collectors in their scooters to see firsthand how this plan works and to ask them what they see as to the pros and cons of this system. Each crew member was very positive, and I was pleasantly surprised how efficient and smooth Shaker Heights' system runs with these scooters."
Council unanimously concurs with the decision to move forward with the system, Mr. Akers said.
He said he did not want to give up the city having its own collection system, "yet some 35 out of the 57 communities in Cuyahoga County use private handlers." He also said he didn't want stop Pepper Pike's long-standing back-door and rear-yard pickup approach which would otherwise require residents to haul their rubbish each week down to the curb as is presently done in most other communities."
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