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<br /> Comprehensive Review of <br /> S olid W aste Collection and Disposal Options <br /> <br /> <br />v2.1 54 10/22/12 <br />4.3.1 Transition to Fully -Automated Collections <br />The Town currently employs semi-automated (i.e., hydraulic cart tippers) collection along each <br />of its residential waste collection routes. A driver plus two (2) Town employees are used on <br />each of its waste collection routes. Waste collection carts are placed on the hydraulic cart tippers <br />to empty the cart’s waste into the collection vehicle and then the Town employee returns the cart <br />back to the curb. A benefit of semi-automated collection over manual collection is improved <br />worker safety and decrease in workers compensation costs. <br />Fully-automated collection vehicles use a single driver and a collection vehicle outfitted with an <br />arm capable of picking up the waste cart and emptying its contents into the vehicle. One of the <br />benefits of automated collection is a decrease in personnel necessary to collect the waste. Fully- <br />automated collection requires a single driver that can collect from 800 to 1,000 households per <br />day. Semi-automated collection requires a crew of three (a driver and two loaders) to service <br />between 600 and 800 households per day. Variables that affect the additional number of <br />households gained by full automation include: density of residences, distance to landfill, and <br />capacity of the collection vehicle. When transitioning to full-automation, most municipalities <br />must re-evaluate collections routes as the automated vehicle is limited to servicing only one side <br />of the street at a time, most often from the right side of the vehicle, thus requiring predominant <br />right-hand turn routing. <br />According to “The Benchmarking of Residential Solid Waste Collection Services: FY 2008 <br />Report” by SWANA, semi-automated collection practices typically decreases worker injuries <br />but semi-automation does not significantly improve the number of households served per hour. <br />SWANA concluded that the process of hooking a cart to the cart tippers and executing the <br />automated tipping function takes some time. Exhibit 4-1 below depicts the average number of <br />residential units served by each standard waste collection method. <br />Exhibit 4 -1. Number of Residential Units Serviced Per Hour by <br />Collection Method <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Collection Method <br />No. of <br />Residential <br />Units Served <br />per Hour <br />Fully-Automated 139 <br />Semi-Automated 118 <br />Manual 136 <br />Average for all Methods 132 <br />Advantages and disadvantages between semi- and fully-automated collection systems are <br />presented in Exhibit 4-2.