Missing deck: Manufacturers talk about changes and improvements they’ve made in their product lines—and about the industry’s future.

By Joseph Lynn Tilton

Waste containers don't get much respect. It doesn't matter whether the container belongs to a resident, business owner, private waste hauler, or municipal operation; too often it gets trashed or comes up missing. Fortunately, as the years have progressed, waste containers and collection carts have become better and better. For example, it's easier and easier to dump those containers and carts into the vehicle hauling waste. Still, waste collection doesn't get the conversational respect it deserves. But those who pay attention to what they're doing, whether manufacturer or user, are getting ahead because they take better care of their customer as well as themselves. Furthermore, they can see the various paths that lead to the future, which gives them options to choose from that best fit their corporate ability and policy.

Take, for example, the city of Rochester, NY. It has included a barcoding technology for its bins that officials report might save the city about $200,000/yr. in its waste collection efforts. (That savings comes largely from eliminating illegal dumping or waste container theft.) Noting that Rochester has ordered more than 70,000 bins from Cascade Engineering in Grand Rapids, MI, Karon Simoni, DES division superintendent, comments, "We approached several companies with our problem and told them what we wanted, what we needed it for, and what our time frame was.

"Cascade Engineering came back to us with the innovative idea of a permanent, barcoded plastic container that can be tracked. It's like having a LoJack device for your trash bin." The goal is to reduce the city's need to replace some 5,000 containers per year because of theft, loss, or destruction.

The barcoded containers began hitting the streets in July 2003, with two-thirds of city residents utilizing the new bins by November. Rochester's city officials expect to have the program fully implemented by September 2004. Container life has averaged 11 years; the containers being replaced were purchased in 1992. But the new bins should offer an even longer life because City waste management people can more quickly meet the challenge of caring for bins that have been trashed.

"The Rochester bins and in-mold bar codes are designed to handle temperature challenges, such as those found in Buffalo, New York, to heat challenges associated with Albuquerque, New Mexico," declares John Kowalski, Cascade's marketing communications manager. Kowalski, who has been in the marketing and communications field for 14 years, then explains that the bar code is molded in during bin production to ensure permanent placement. "We've enabled cities and private haulers to use a handheld scanner to track the use history of specific containers, including any history of repairs. It provides a way to track assets. Furthermore, should someone find a missing bin, it's easy to discover who it actually belongs to and where it should go due to Cascade's asset management system."

Although the technology hasn't gotten to the point of a global positioning system (GPS), like the ones used with vehicles, Kowalski explains that there has been discussion regarding that possibility. He notes, however, that another use for the bar code is to ensure accurate filling of orders. "All we have to do is check the serial numbers of the first and last bins in a specific order. It makes it easy for us to make sure the customer gets the number of bins ordered, whether we're talking about a small order or 70,000 bins."

According to Lou Guilmette, Rochester's solid waste general manager, other city governments could benefit from this asset tracking system. "City governments need to know which customer is assigned to which service, which container belongs with what address, whose address is being served on certain days, and how much service they are paying for. Without an asset management program, the city's bottom line is affected and ultimately taxpayer dollars end up footing the bill.

"Refuse has to be controlled and regulated, and each household is responsible for the refuse that they create. Importing garbage from one address to another is a real problem for city governments. With this system, you eliminate that problem because the bar codes can't be confused." He adds that this technology also could be used in the future for other applications, such as a system for weighing individual bins to monitor residential and commercial use. Then, instead of a flat monthly fee, actual use could become the basis for billing the individual customer.

Containers for Public Use and Education

As mandatory recycling continues to expand, the need for collection containers for use at special events or in parks and other public places continues to grow. Established in 1983, Windsor Barrel Works (a division of the Kettle Creek Corporation in Kempton, PA) is a pioneer in providing recycling receptacles for use in public places.

Founder and President Philip Haas says, "Prior to creating the company, I was working in environmental education and recognized a market opportunity for public recycling containers. We began making our containers out of recycled plastic lumber to further the cause of recycling."

Today, Windsor Barrel Works' original Clusters receptacles are used in municipal, county, state, and federal parks, on college campuses, and at zoos for collecting recycled cans and bottles. The principal design is a trio of containers that carry the recycle message. Clusters are made of 100% recycled plastic lumber and fastened to a sturdy recycled cast-aluminum frame. One user, the Gladys Porter Zoo, which is operated by the Valley Zoological Society in Brownsville, TX, sent a letter to Haas citing the zoo's satisfaction. "We included one of our three-barrel clusters in our newest edition of the Gladys Porter Zoo Guidebook, and thought you would enjoy seeing one in print and featured somewhere besides your own advertising," wrote Curator of Herpetology Colette Adams.

Visitors to Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, TX, take advantage of convenient recycling bins.

Haas' background in education comes to the fore when he talks about the company's efforts to encourage youthful participation in litter prevention and recycling campaigns by encouraging customers to have students create artwork to be reproduced on the surface of the company's Canables containers. "This is an education project with high visibility and great promotional potential for sponsors and is a unique art and design project." He cites one such project that involved students in the Stanback Middle School in Orange County, NC. That project was under the direction of Laura Ziemba, the school's art instructor. She reports, "Elementary students are always excited to make posters, so the idea that their creations will be on display around recycling containers is definitely a bonus. For older grades, this is an opportunity to give some students a special project. And the concept of creating an image that will be exhibited on a functional item provides an interesting design challenge. It was important for the students to conceptualize how their design would hold up when transferred to a cylindrical surface."

When it comes to special events, Windsor Barrel Works has a collapsible plastic container called Clear Canable. "It's our newest and was introduced just this past February," Haas continues. "There has been quite a bit of interest in that product. After the event, the container can be taken apart by removing the top and bottom, easily cleaned if needed, and then stacked flat out of the way until the next event." Clear Canables come in 30 and 55 gal. capacities, and the clear PET plastic walls show people how much is being recycled. The company plans to produce these with post-consumer recycled PET plastic later this year.

Placing and Retrieving Empty Containers

When it comes to solid waste containers, the City of Los Angeles, CA, may well be the leader, with some 5.5 million containers designed for curbside pickup of recyclable and nonrecyclable materials. Part of the challenge for that city is taking care of the citizens' container needs, especially when delivering an empty container to a move-in, removing and replacing a damaged unit, or picking up the empties when people move out. Safety and productivity have been two concerns for the city.

The answer they found was to go to a front-wheel drive truck, which lowered the bed to just 14–15 in. above the street. "We first developed the concept when a shuttle bus builder approached us about five years ago to make a low floor vehicle," says Bill Riley, vice president of marketing for Marmon-Herrington in Louisville, KY. He explains that the firm has been building all-wheel-drive systems for truck chasses since 1930. Those can be found on such diverse vehicles as utility trucks and snowplows, as well as on heavy-duty vehicles for civilian and military applications.

Riley continues, "When we started working with the bus manufacturer concerning the low floor suspension, we met Dallas Smith in Greencastle, Indiana, who had designed and patented an Axleless vehicle suspension system. The combination resulted in a vehicle with a 6-inch channel frame under the floor, giving the truck 8 inches of clearance, which works well in metro areas."

Then Marmon-Herrington began seeking other clients, and about 18 months ago found Los Angeles prepared to utilize the concept for delivering and retrieving empty containers. Not only did it put the workers closer to the street for less chance of an accidental fall, but they have been able to safely make more deliveries in a day. "Other cities we have approached have the same problem, that of trying to put a stack of containers on a truck with a 40-inch-high floor."

Thanks to the lower floor, it's also ideal for picking up or delivering white goods. "After all, there's no loading dock at individual residences," Riley says.

Manufacturing is in three phases. The chassis manufacturer builds the truck or powered glider (cab, frame, front axle, engine, and transmission), and Marmon-Herrington ships an intermediate certified rolling chassis to the body builder, who installs the specific body and makes it a complete vehicle. "We're shipping our chasses to four different body builders at this time," he notes.

Riley reports that Los Angeles also bought four low-floor trailers and uses a hub system. If a driver is out picking up containers and his vehicle becomes full, he meets the trailer driver at a prearranged spot where the load is transferred. "Trailers can hold three to four truckloads. So, while the operator is retrieving more empty containers, the trailer operator can return to the storage area for these containers. And if another driver is dropping off containers, then the system works in reverse."

Riley also sees a possible market for those who need to place and remove traffic cones and barrels when closing highway lanes. "No one has to hang out of the back of a high truck." Workers are within just a few inches of the street surface and thus able to more safely place those cones or barrels.

Giving Loaded Carts and Containers TLC

While lifting systems for refuse collection have made life easier for workers, sometimes they're hard on carts or containers. Bayne Premium Lift Systems in Greenville, SC, has solved this problem, especially for higher-weight containers, through a patented rack and pinion system that smoothly lifts and dumps curbside containers. Henry Bell, general manager, emphasizes, "Although larger containers are often filled with around 50 pounds of refuse, they can hold as much as 250 pounds. Regardless, the average sanitation worker is not going to pick up these kinds of weights over and over again. Operators need the ability to safely lift these containers without hurting themselves or the carts."

He says one way to reduce damage to the containers is to reduce the hydraulic pressure utilized to lift and dump the carts. Whether designed for rear, side, or front loading equipment, Bayne has done this. Bell says, "The rack and pinion actuator provides higher lifting capacity at lower hydraulic pressures, and this allows the truck operator to pick up heavier weights while handling the carts more gently." In addition, cities introducing lifters into their fleets of vehicles are finding a reduction in workers' compensation claims, improved employee retention, and raised employee morale. These machines can lift, dump, and reset a container in six to eight seconds, so municipalities' crews can handle as many as 600–700 residential stops per day.

Bell, who has been in the waste collection industry for 14 years, has some thoughts on recycling too. He points out that separating recyclables seems to have reached its peak back in 1997–1998, due largely to the decreased prices currently paid for aluminum, plastic, and paper. "A lot of cities have abandoned some of their recycling efforts because of prohibitive costs, especially when they have space in their own landfill. If they don't have space and are facing distant hauls to a landfill, then recycling may still be a more economical solution.

"Another movement I see is use of larger containers in public areas because they don't blow over. Also, they are much cleaner, more aesthetically pleasing, and more difficult for animals to disturb. Cities using larger containers need lift systems on their trucks that can safely handle the containers during the dumping operation."

When asked what Bayne has in the works, he responds, "We are in the process of launching our new 208 series. This model has fewer moving parts than our previous lines, yet will accomplish the same smooth operation as the earlier models. It will also provide better ground clearance, offering 17 to 20 inches of height instead of 14 to 17, so the tipper is less likely to be damaged while the vehicle is entering or exiting a landfill."

What About Safety?

When it comes to hauling containers using a rolloff truck, two safety issues are always present: (1) loss of an empty container during transport, and (2) the driver forgetting to lower the hoist while in transit.

G&H Manufacturing Ltd. in Arlington, TX, has addressed both issues, says Keith Lowe, national account manager. "This year we introduced our Box Lox system, which automatically secures the container to the vehicle or trailer. This eliminates the need for traditional methods of manually securing a container as described in the DOT regulations." He adds that the Box Lox system can be retrofitted to existing fleets, regardless of brand, and to containers already in use, again regardless of brand. He estimates it takes two to three hours to install a complete system on one truck. "It saves the driver time and meets the DOT requirements," Lowe says.

The second feature involves a speed limitation device when the rolloff hoist is up. "Last year the industry saw a couple of fatalities due to the vehicle going down the road with the hoist in the air and either hitting a bridge or another object. We have been field testing the ability to limit speed while the hoist is up for the past year. Now a driver not only sees a light and hears an alarm reminding him the hoist is up, but it limits the speed of the vehicle to a specific range - usually less than 12 miles per hour. This quickly alerts the driver to the need of lowering the hoist." More and more companies are requesting this option when ordering, thus ensuring greater safety for their employees - and avoiding adverse headlines and claims.

Meeting Future Changes in the Wastestream

While residential rollout carts continue to get emphasis, Mike Schwalbach, national manager of environmental products for Rehrig-Pacific in Los Angeles, CA, emphasizes, "Collection and processing of recyclables are trending toward a single stream. More and more municipalities are sorting their recyclables on the transfer station floor instead of at the curb."

Noting that Rehrig-Pacific has been in the trash/garbage container business for more than 90 years, Schwalbach says the firm moved into the recyclable market in 1986 as a supplier of curbside recycling bins. "Our first major customer for those extractible bins was San Jose, and those bins contained 12 gallons each. Now our recyclable line has bins from 18 to 32 gallons." Still, he reports that in the past six to seven years, there's been a definite move from curbside to the processing center when it comes to actually sorting recyclables. One reason is to encourage greater participation, and residents are more likely to place glass, paper, and plastics into one container than to go to the bother of sorting piece by piece.

Schwalbach continues, "The benefit to cities can include financial improvements to their waste collection efforts. But unequivocally, the participation and convenience factor for the resident is much higher. Before such cities went to the single stream concept it took more education, and people didn't have time to keep that in their minds.

Recycling was lower on their priority list. Now, with single stream, cities can plan whether containers are put on the curb weekly, biweekly, or monthly. They can tailor the program to better fit their collection system, thus possibly reducing the number of stops, yet have an overall increase in residential participation."

He explains that containers for single streaming can be sized according to need and range from 30–100 gal. Such containers are rollout carts. "Haulers will want to have longer contract terms because of the need to invest more in trucks and containers. In participating cities I see a lot of contracts running at least five years."

This puts the manufacturer in an advisory role. "In the end, we try to become a consultant to cities, to educate them on the benefits of single stream, and assist in educating their citizens. This work is done on a case-by-case basis because we're striving to offer tailor-made solutions."

After commenting that Rehrig-Pacific is the largest supplier of curbside recycling bins in the country, Schwalbach says, "That's why we can offer a program to take back older, outdated containers and reuse them in manufacturing. About 20% of one of our rollout carts consists of recycled material. In other products, such as dairy and soft drink cases or smaller curbside recycled bins that are handled by hand, as much as 50% of the container can consist of recycled material.

"If a city wants to convert from a sorted small bin system to a regular rollout cart, we can offer to take those bins back, closing the loop. This eliminates the worry for the city about how to dispose of the older line. Furthermore, we pay the market rate for the recycled containers we get from those cities."

But what about container sturdiness? After all, while mechanization has made it easier on the people doing the hauling, it has made it tougher on containers. Whether it holds recyclables or unsorted materials, one of the challenges with mechanization has been to develop a container that can withstand the abuse that comes from a mechanized arm yet leave the container light enough to be moved by hand by the resident. "The market has demanded a 10-year warranty on that product," Schwalbach explains.

Also needed is a process for educating the haulers in the relationship between rollout carts and their trucks and equipment. "Over time, the goal has been to coordinate cart design toward compatibility with the truck and lifter being used. One example is the gripping diameter on our carts. We make them as close as possible alike so one arm can pick up different sizes of carts. We've also strengthened areas of the cart subject to abuse, such as the back where it may be pinched by the arms."

He adds that while the weight is similar to a decade ago, its distribution has changed. "The geometry and design of the cart have evolved over the years as we've striven for continuous improvement."

Returning to the subject of single stream recycling, Mike Schwalbach reiterates, "Single stream will continue to happen. The other trend that's been getting hotter and hotter in the past few years is organic collection. It's much bigger in Canada than here, but that's a trend I believe we'll see more and more of in the US, principally on the residential and commercial side, especially restaurants."

He notes that the City of Toronto, ON, has an elaborate program for collecting food and other organic waste, rather than letting that food enter the city's sewer system or become mixed in with other cast-off items. At the least, this work has helped make life a bit more pleasant for those who work on sorting floors in transfer stations and other waste processing facilities.

"But before a city can mandate a food collection system it must have the facilities to handle that waste; it needs a processing facility that can take food waste. Then they can distribute curbside containers and small containers suited to the kitchen, where whoever's doing the cooking before supper or the dishes after can easily dispose of the waste."

Author Joseph Lynn Tilton is a frequent contributor to Forester Communications publications.

MSW - May/June 2004