Trash collection in Jefferson will have a new look come September when a New Way Sidewinder automated packer and a New Way Cobra rear load packer are put into service for residential trash pickup.
The city council at its June 25 regular meeting approved the purchase of the two trucks at a total cost of $400,200.
The council also approved purchasing 1,782 Shaefer trash carts at a cost of $114,984.
The purchases will automate trash pickup up, increasing operator safety on the garbage routes and improving cleanliness in the city, explained Corey Schultz of Elliott Equipment Company in Grimes. Elliott Equipment is a dealer for New Way trucks manufactured in Scranton.
Schultz demonstrated the Sidewinder packer after the meeting. The truck driver operates a large mechanical arm that picks up each trash cart, lifts it to dump its contents, and then sets it back down again. The driver doesn’t need to leave the truck for most pickups.
According to Schultz, an experienced driver can pick up 150 carts an hour.
The trash carts will be owned by the city. One will be delivered to every dwelling on city garbage routes during the last week of August. The carts will have serial numbers, with each number recorded with its corresponding address. The carts will remain the property of the city, and when residents move, the trash cart stays behind at that address for the next residents.
The Cobra rear loader will be equipped with a hydraulic lift. The sanitation crew will be able to move a trash cart onto the lift. The cart will be raised and dumped with no lifting by the crew.
The trash carts come in two sizes – 95 gallon and 65 gallon. Residences will receive the larger cart unless a resident asks for a smaller cart. The 95 gallon cart has 10-inch wheels and is fairly easier to roll than the smaller cart, which has smaller wheels. The large cart will hold 5-6 30-gallon bags of garbage; the smaller cart will hold 3-4.
Although mayor Craig Berry thought the carts should be Ram red, they’ll all be blue and clearly labeled as property of the city.
If all goes according to schedule, automated trash collection will begin the week of Sept. 2. Residents should watch for more information from the city staff about where carts should be placed to allow efficient automated pickup. There will also be information included with each cart when it is delivered.
The trucks and carts will be paid for as part of the $2.46 million bond issue approved by the council earlier in the meeting.
