With standardized containers dominating the landscape, waste collection has come a long way from 55-gal. steel drums and plastic bags.

By Darlene Snow

Innovations in automated collection, manufacturing technology, and ergonomic research have given a new face to waste collection. But standardized containers might not be for everyone. In fact, there might be a new frontier, albeit in relatively smaller markets, in which to challenge container and cart manufacturers. From curbside green bins for wet waste in Toronto, Canada, to imprinting recycling containers with digital artwork in Palm Desert, CA, innovations in container manufacturing continue. From the looks of some new and custom-designed containers on the market, the next frontier could be classified as the beautification of waste collection, where art, manufacturing, and waste management intersect.

As one manufacturer put it, the new generation of standard, custom-designed, and decorative containers is a big step up from the "ratty old garbage cans" that used to line our streets. Innovation does not come cheap, however. According to Michael Knaub, senior vice president of Schaefer Systems International in Charlotte, NC, developing a new container is expensive and time-consuming. "It can take three to six months just to get the block of steel needed to [make the mold]." Knaub says a 30- to 35-ton block of steel is required to make an injection mold for plastic containers. Moreover, the whole design and tooling process can cost upward of $1 million, which causes manufacturers to think twice about reinventing the wheel for possibly a very small niche market.

This article explores some innovations in carts and containers that are challenging the norm and, in some cases, are even considered art.

Logo-Designed and Imprinted Containers

A specialized collection can for the University of Nebraska

Applying graphic art to the surface of collection containers is a true reflection of the changing face of waste management. Windsor Barrel Works in Kempton, PA, is making a line of galvanized steel containers, Canables, which are available as plain galvanized or painted versions or are customized with "full graphic application." Canables are tough steel barrels with lids made of ABS plastic that can be customized with a 360º four-color graphic, which is applied to the subsurface to protect against scratches and fading.

The College of the Desert, a junior college in Palm Desert, CA, with about 10,000 students, has 80 Canables on campus. According to Kurt Leuschner, assistant professor of natural resources, the college held a student contest to design the wrap as part of its digital design class. The winning entry was placed on all the containers. "Windsor took the design and created a full-size wrap for the barrels," says Leuschner. "This was part of a two-year process."

The campus received its first shipment of 40 Canables in 2002. "We had problems with the initial order. The cans were getting torched in the extreme heat out here in the desert." The manufacturer was quick to replace the barrels with 40 new containers with a special ultraviolet light coating, adds Leuschner. "We were able to salvage the first batch of containers as long as they [were] kept under the eaves. Now we have 80 containers around campus."

The containers are used for recycling beverage containers. The maintenance department uses plastic bag liners to collect the beverage containers, but Leuschner indicates that the college is considering a switch to rigid plastic liners. "The bags are tearing and leaking. Windsor Barrel shipped us about five sturdy plastic liners to test and we may purchase these for all of the containers."

Because of extreme winds in the desert, Leuschner says it is important that the containers be heavy. "We went with the metal containers because we wanted something heavy that could withstand the wind." He also notes, "For the money, these were the best bet."

The beverage containers are collected by the maintenance department and recycled through a collection arrangement with Waste Management Inc. The College's Ecologic Club also is involved in monitoring the barrels and encouraging students to recycle.

Another company, LogoCan Inc. in Omaha, NE, is customizing containers manufactured by T.M. Fitzgerald & Associates in Haddonfield, NJ, for its collegiate licensing program. LogoCan Vice President Sandy Matthes says the company went through the process of obtaining licenses to use university logos on its 32-gal. containers. "The universities are very particular about the use of their logos. The colors have to match the PMS colors for the logo exactly," reports Matthes. So far, LogoCan has obtained approval on logos for 10 universities and introduced the custom container to one university, the University of Nebraska. The Huskers purchased 600 LogoCans to use on campus in 2001. "The cans can be used for everything from collecting towels in the weight room to trash on the track field," points out Matthes. The containers can be ordered with a hole in the lid or with a standard closed lid. According to track-and-field coach Gary Pepin, "We needed something to hold trash that was also attractive to look at." Pepin states that he's been the track-and-field coach for the last 23 years. "It's the best trash can we've had in 23 years. We get a lot of compliments on the can."

Introducing custom containers takes work and money, though. First, the cans had to be made and shown to the university. After donating a few containers, the university staff expressed interest in purchasing more. To complete the project, LogoCan is also selling the Huskers containers through university bookstores and novelty shops. "We've seen them used for everything from holding kegs to laundry," relates Matthes.

Automated and Decorative Litter Containers

Toter automated litter container

In Rochester, NY, Lou Guilmette, solid waste manager for the city's Department of Environmental Services, is credited with being the driving force behind automating litter collection. Jim Pickett, eastern division vice president of sales for Toter Inc. in Statesville, NC, states, "Lou pushed Toter to develop this product." As a result, in the mid-1990s, Toter began manufacturing a decorative litter container suited for automated collection.

"In 1986, when I was first hired, we had to send a refuse truck out with two guys to pick up sidewalk litter containers," recalls Guilmette. While the city always used decorative concrete or pebble finished containers, he says manual collection of the plastic liners caused problems. "The bags would always slip and fall, and people would keep throwing litter in anyway. It was a lot of work."

In the 1980s, the city went to a rear-load, semiautomated collection system for residential waste. That's when Guilmette began looking for a better system for litter collection. "I went to the waste shows and started to look for someone to make a semiautomated litter container, but no one was interested." He states that the manufacturers he talked to all said it would be too costly to design and produce a mold. In 1994, however, Guilmette persuaded a small manufacturer in Harbor Creek, PA, Suburban Container, to build a fully automated sidewalk litter container. The city purchased 350 containers. Soon after, Toter came out with its automated litter container. "Toter made a more attractive automated litter container." The city purchased about 600 of the Toter containers, reports Guilmette.

The 60-gal., heavy-duty-plastic Toter litter containers purchased by the City of Rochester have a granite finish and a gravity lock system that unhinges automatically when the containers are upside down. According to the manufacturer, the rotational molded plastic is more durable than its metal counterparts and better suited for automated collection where containers tend to take a beating from the collection equipment. "The plastic bounces back if it's dented, whereas metal gets banged up," observes Pickett. In addition, the granite finish allows for a contemporary design for more upscale settings. The containers, which can be weighted for stability and security, also can be used for manual collection.

After the city's previous experiences with plastic bag liners, Guilmette reports that the city decided to use the Toter containers without the optional rigid plastic liner or bag straps. Instead, during the hot summer months the collection vehicle driver uses a nozzle attached near the driver's mirror to spray containers with disinfectant after they are emptied.

Cascade Mate

Wine Barrel

To cut down on the costs of litter collection in the city's parks, the city implemented a carry-in/carry-out policy whereby park users are asked to use litter containers in dedicated areas at park entrances and exits to dispose of their waste. "You would need scaled-down trucks to collect from litter containers inside the park," explains Guilmette. "The carry-in/carry-out system makes it easy for the public to use the litter containers when they are leaving the park." He reports that the public has been very cooperative with this system and that the parks are remarkably clean.

The city has one 18-yd.³ fully automated collection truck dedicated to litter collection, with plans to add a second 27-yd.³ automated truck. The two litter collection trucks will serve a dual purpose, states Guilmette. "In 2008, we'll have to go out and buy a new fleet of residential collection trucks." The city currently uses semiautomated trucks for residential waste, collecting from 465 homes per day per vehicle. Guilmette plans to use the litter collection vehicles to test fully automated collection in different sections of the city. "We use 32 semiautomated trucks now, but in 2008 we want to know exactly how many fully automated trucks we would need and how many homes they could collect from each day." Guilmette indicates that having real-world data would allow the city to have exact numbers on the cost of semiautomated versus automated collection. "It's hard to use manufacturer estimates to determine what a system will do," he remarks. "An automated truck may get to 1,200 homes a day in Phoenix, but what will it do in Rochester in the winter?"

Further marking the trend toward decorative litter containers, Cascade Cart in Grand Rapids, MI, introduced an aesthetically minded litter container in 2002. According to Bill Birth of marketing and program development for Cascade Cart, the company's research showed that there was a market for a cleaner, better-looking, versatile public waste receptacle. "A lot of our customers have been asking for an alternative, for a better-looking container," he notes. The new 64-gal. Cascade Mate is made from rotational molded plastic and is suitable for indoor or outdoor use. It is composed of a two-piece tub and base combination, with a one-piece cover or open-lid option. The covered lid is open on all four sides.

"Most of [the litter containers] are made of concrete, wood, or iron grating. By using heavy-duty plastic, we can make a container that is more aesthetically pleasing," Birth emphasizes. Plastic has the added advantage of keeping its appearance over a long period of time.

Taking aesthetics a step further, in San Benito County, CA, the Integrated Waste Department (IWD) was charged with finding recycling containers for the City of San Juan Bautista that could meet the strict architectural and aesthetic standards of that city's historic district. "We needed something that could meet the theme of the historic district," says Mandy Rose, IWD director for the County of San Benito.

To be consistent with the historic landscape, IWD proposed using wine barrels for both litter and recycling collection. "The city had been using wine barrels for trash for the past 40 years or so," reports Rose. Since the barrels were used without liners, she says they used the opportunity to clean up the overall program by special ordering rigid plastic liners and lids for both trash and recyclables. The county sent a wine barrel to Windsor Barrel Works, which designed a plastic liner to fit the barrel's dimensional requirements. The 19-in.-diameter liners are made from molded plastic and have an ABS molded plastic lid with holes for garbage and recycling. The county purchased the used wine barrels from a local feed store. The historic district now has 25 wine barrels, labeled for either trash or recyclables.

Organic Waste Collection Containers

The City of Toronto developed its own specifications for indoor and curbside organic waste containers based on input from its vehicle staff and ergonomics specialist. Kevin Vibert, senior analyst with the City of Toronto's Solid Waste Management Services, says containers that existed on the market did not meet the city's need for a manual curbside collection container that was compatible with its co-collection trucks. For its new Green Bin program, the city issued a request for proposals for two containers: an indoor organics container and a curbside organics container. "We received about 10 responses," reports Vibert. The city ultimately chose Norseman Plastics of Toronto and distributed its first wave of bins in September 2002 to 68,000 households in the community of Etobicoke. This coincided with the opening of the city's anaerobic digestion facility, the Dufferin Organics Processing Facility in Toronto, which composts the organic waste collected. By 2005, the program will reach all of the city's half-million households, according to Vibert.

The indoor organics container is made entirely of heavy-duty plastic (HDPE), with the exception of metal bracket screws used to hang the container. It holds 7.5 lit., measures 19 cm in height, and has a lid, a handle, and a hanging bracket. Its wide oval shape accommodates the shape of dishes for easier scraping. The height allows for mounting on a cupboard door, and a latch secures the lid to the body.

The curbside organics container also is made entirely of HDPE plastic, with the exception of a metal bracket on the lid latch and the wheelbase. It holds 46.5 lit., measures 67 cm in height, and has a lid with latch, wheels, and a pull bar. Since collection is done manually, the curbside container was designed with ergonomic considerations for height and weight in mind.

Green Bin program carts

Residents are given special instructions on how to collect organics and clean the bins. Both containers are hot-water safe and can be cleaned with dishwashing soap, although residents are instructed not to place them in the dishwasher because the drying element can warp the plastic. To prevent odors, residents are encouraged to wash the containers on a regular basis. Both containers also can be lined with plastic bags, if the residents desire. They are instructed to lock the curbside container using the lid latch to prevent animals from getting in and to place excess materials at the curb on the morning of collection using any see-through bag.

The curbside organics container (the "smelly" garbage) is collected weekly, while municipal waste and recyclables are collected biweekly on alternate weeks, using co-collection vehicles. Yardwaste is collected separated.

Tim Michael, manager of waste diversion for the City of Toronto's Solid Waste Management Services, points out that the indoor container can be placed under the sink or on the counter, or it can be mounted using the brackets. "Residents can line the container with a plastic bag if they want." Michael states that with the anaerobic digestion facility, plastic bags, diapers, and other materials that might be considered contaminants in typical composting programs could be included. In fact, the program allows for a wide array of organics, including fruit, vegetable, meat and produce scraps; dairy products; pasta, bread, and cereal; coffee filters and tea bags; low-grade paper (tissue and paper towels); diapers and sanitary products; household plants; and animal waste and bedding and kitty litter.

The Green Bin program is considered a key component to meeting the city's waste diversion goals of 30% by 2003, 60% by 2006, and 100% by 2010. Finished compost will be used for fertilizer on farmland and parkland.

More information about the Green Bin program can be obtained from the city's Web site at www.city.toronto.on.ca/greenbin.

See-Through Containers

Mesh-front cart

The Curbside Container Company in Paso Robles, CA, has developed a line of innovative collection carts that allows the user to see into the container through either open, translucent, or mesh fronts. The rolling containers, which range in size from 20 gal. for office paper to 35 gal. for newsprint, are 39 in. high and have two wheels, a raised lip for labeling, and a pull bar. Their vertical design allows for a small footprint, and since they come in a variety of colors, the collection program can be color-coded. Both are made from polyethylene with 8-in. snap-on wheels and a 1-in. coated steel tubing stop bar. For labeling, the containers have optional polycarbonate nameplates, hot stamping, or custom graphics.

The manufacturer reports that the see-through design reduces contamination by revealing the contents of the container. By holding papers in a dense stack, the containers increase the efficiency of collection. The carts can be maneuvered by hand or emptied using automated and semiautomated cart lifters.

The United States Marine Corps ordered 40 containers from Curbside Container Company for centralized collection of office paper at its Kansas City, MO, Marine Corps Support Activity Center. The containers have a translucent front, making it convenient to monitor the contents. According to Shawn Lloyd, recycling coordinator for Marine Corps Support Activity, they used an initial test container sent by the manufacturer to collect newsprint and magazines. Before getting the new containers, Lloyd notes that they were using cardboard boxes at individual desks that had to be collected regularly. "It was too labor-intensive going desk to desk."

The smaller containers are used to collect magazines, and the larger ones collect newspaper. They still use a bag system to collect office paper. The containers are dumped into Gaylord containers, which are weighed. The translucent front, however, allows them to keep track of the amount of material collected from each location since they can record the weight based on markings on the container. Because of this, programs that are operating without a scale also can keep track of the amount they are collecting, which is an added benefit of the translucent containers. "For people who are just starting out, it would be a great way to go," Lloyd comments.

Because he can see into the side of the container, Lloyd says he can conduct a walk-through several times a week to monitor the contents. The containers are emptied once a week. The containers also can be used for cans and bottles. Since purchasing the Curbside Container Company carts, he notes that the manufacturer has introduced a new version with raised lids with signage for labeling what goes into each cart. With the older models, Lloyd placed sticky labels on the underside of the flat lid. "The containers fill up fast, so the lid is generally kept open."

The Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA) used open-back containers from Curbside Container Company for office paper collection. Under a new program with Marcal Paper in Elmwood Park, NJ, to recycle mixed paper, however, the authority is moving away from the open-back containers to an "ordinary enclosed container." Rich Von Stetten, manager of recycling for DSWA in Wilmington, DE, says, "It's not as important to be able to see the contents in the new program." He indicates that the open-back containers worked well for office paper. Aside from being able to monitor what is in the bin for contaminants, the open back allows you to keep track of the amount collected. The containers can be marked along the side to keep track of weight according to the level of paper collected. "With the open back, you don't have to weigh the containers to know how much you are recycling."

Von Stetten states that DSWA will continue to use the open-back containers for special pickups and areas that want to continue collecting white office paper. "It's a neat innovation."

A Los Angeles, CA - based environmental consultant, Darlene Snow frequently contributes to MSW Management.

MSW - May/June 2003