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Savings add up with new rubbish collections
(by Sue Reid - February 04, 2009)
Savings add up with new rubbish collections
By SUE REID
Eight weeks into an automated rubbish program in Solon, things are going well, Service Director Thomas Bandiera told City Council's finance committee.
So much so, that cost savings in a number of areas, as well as an increase in recyclable material by residents, are some of the many benefits, he said.
The city began phase one of its switch to an automated rubbish program last November, and plans are under way to implement phase two by the end of summer. There will be three phases, with the final phase culminating in 2010. Each phase encompasses about 2,400 homes, Mr. Bandiera said. There are 7,400 homes in the city.
"It's going fantastic," Mr. Bandiera said. "It is a pretty simple process that does not require manual labor on the back of the truck."
With manual pickup, there is one person driving the truck and one on the back serving as a "thrower," he said. With the automated system, there is just a driver in the truck, who operates an automated "arm" with a joystick. The arm clenches the rubbish containers.
"Obviously, if you don't have two people on the truck, you're saving the cost of that labor," Mr. Bandiera said. He said the city is not laying anybody off as a result in the service department but rather using that person in another area. An example is during recent heavy snowfalls, he said. "The automated rubbish program will free up those extra people."
Currently, the city has five trucks with two employees on each for a total of 10 employees. The automated program will result in just three trucks with one employee on each.
A study done on the cost savings showed that to pick up rubbish manually totaled $6.50 per home, per month compared with the automated pick up of $4.25 per home, per month. On a monthly basis the savings is $20,182. An annual savings, Mr. Bandiera said, is $242,181; a five-year savings, a little over $1.2 million and a 10-year savings of about $2.8 million.
"You have to look at the big picture," he said. The truck itself, which features a camera system, costs about $215,000.
There is also cost savings in the area of fuel, he said, as well as wear and tear of equipment and maintenance costs. Another area of savings with the change to an automated program, Mr. Bandiera said, is with work-related injuries.
"We estimate that about 80 percent of our injuries were associated with manual rubbish collection," Mr. Bandiera said. "It's a dangerous job."
Many employees have twisted their knees or back in the past, he said, and some have reached into the can and there has been glass protruding. Occasionally, employees are stuck with a needle, he said.
Mr. Bandiera also said the fact that the automated collection has resulted in a decrease in the tonnage of garbage collected and an increase in recyclable material.
"We want to see the amount of solid waste go down and recycling going up," he said. The new program "really encourages residents to participate in the recycling program." The city not only educated its employees extensively on the benefits of recycling, Mr. Bandiera said, but the community as well.
"We talked to residents on Earth Day and during Solon Home Days," he said. The city went to a single-stream recycling program, which also helped, Mr. Bandiera said. "That involves commingling all of their recyclables in one bag," he said. Prior to that, there were separate bags for such recyclable material as glass and others for aluminum cans. The recycle bag is on the opposite side of the driveway of the solid-waste can.
With the new automated program, each home is given a 95-gallon cart initially, Mr. Bandiera said. "If they don't generate enough rubbish on a weekly basis for that, after a three-month trial period, we offer them a smaller 65-gallon cart.
"Especially during the winter months," he said, "people don't generate that much trash."
Mr. Bandiera said that the residents' response to this new program has been extremely positive.
"I have residents calling asking when are they going to get their can," he said. "Those in phase three want it sooner." A lot of residents are anxious to start, he said. Many, who have located to Solon from other communities that have the automated collection see how easy it is.
"Some people may just be able to envision how much easier to roll that can to the curb rather than dragging a couple cans to the curb is on a weekly basis," he said.
Councilman and finance committee member William I. Russo said that some residents were skeptical at first of this program, but it is now "favorably received."
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