Automated collection has come a long way in the past few years—as so it should. As Lanny Hickman, former executive director of SWANA, points out that a person completing a career humping garbage would have accomplished single-handedly a task equal to raising the Titanic—ballast included—to the surface from its watery grave.
That’s an impressive accomplishment but not necessarily the best utilization of human endeavor when there are better options. True, automated collection is not possible in many situations, and there are circumstances in which the transition from manual to automatic makes no economic sense, but to my way of thinking, it should always be our goal to search for ways that protect the health, welfare, and sound backs of all of our people, not because it makes for lower workers’ comp costs but because it happens to be the right way to conduct our business.
This same logic should guide our thinking in the design and equipping of all of our waste systems where the risk of injury or even loss of life exists.
Sooo…
1. How much of your area is serviced by automated collection vehicles?
2. Semi-automated systems?
3. Manual collection?
4. Are there special conditions that constrain your automation efforts?
5. Do you plan to automate in the future and if so, when?