DeKalb County is set to expand and upgrade its trash and recycling collection service this fall, extending its reach and buying more efficient trucks.
Over the past year, the cities of Pine Lake and Stone Mountain switched from private providers to the public sanitation service run by the county. By next January, Doraville is expected to follow suit, the county said. Between the three cities, about 5,500 more customers will get their trash and recycling picked up by DeKalb’s trucks. The county Sanitation Division services more than 170,000 customers; the cost to residents will not increase because of the new trucks.
The county also plans to begin using a fleet of 46 new garbage trucks by December, bringing the total number of garbage trucks to about 250. The new trucks are more technologically advanced and use “automated side loaders.” The old trucks use a driver and two people that ride on the back, while the new loaders can be operated solely by the driver. Each has a robotic arm that can grab garbage and recycling bins. They also have cameras and steering that allows them to make tight turns in cul-de-sacs.
Credit: DeKalb County
Credit: DeKalb County
The county commissioners previously approved the purchase of the trucks for $15.8 million.
“DeKalb County’s sanitation division fleet now includes more efficient, cost-effective trucks that will help to reduce workplace injuries,” DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said in a statement.
Since the trucks arrived over the last year, the DeKalb Sanitation Division used nine as part of a pilot program. Officials found that the trucks could complete a full route of 800 to 1,200 homes in seven to eight hours, compared to the three-person system that usually takes 10 hours.
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The county estimated the new system decreases weekly labor costs by $1,200 per truck. Tracy Hutchinson, the director of the Sanitation Division, said that will not lead to a reduction in the workforce, since three-person crews still operate about 200 county garbage trucks.
“In addition to improving waste collection, DeKalb’s new (automated side loader) trucks will optimize routing, increase the level of service to our citizens and keep county roads and communities clean,” Tracy Hutchinson, the director of the Sanitation Division, said in a statement.
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