Are automated Cedar Rapids garbage trucks a good investment?
Related Stories
A mechanical arm lifts a GARBY cart during a demonstration of the operation of an automated garbage truck at Cedar Rapids City Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012, in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This is the city's fourth of seven new trucks that will be put into service. The driver/operator controls an arm that lifts the city's garbage containers with a joystick mounted in the cab. One driver/operator will do the work of two. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Cedar Rapids’ fleet of two-worker, rear-load garbage trucks are on the way out.
On Tuesday, the city’s Solid Waste & Recycling Division unveiled one of its seven new single-worker, side-load garbage trucks intended to cut the city’s labor costs and help reduce worker injuries.
The city intends to purchase 10 of the trucks in total at a cost of about $250,000 each, Steve Hershner, the city’s interim utilities director, reported on Tuesday.
Hershner said nine city positions will be eliminated with the new trucks, but he said the displaced workers will have options to move into other city jobs. In fact, the city’s solid-waste operation has been running at a “bare-bones” level in anticipation of bringing on the new one-worker trucks without layoffs, Hershner said.
Are the automated trucks a good investment for the city?
-u20042.png?1366232523)
Barn door,,,Horse.
” the city’s solid-waste operation has been running at a “bare-bones””
That’s very relative. For the city it may be bare bones, but for the private sector it would more than likely be Caviar and Crumpets.
Yes, it is a very good thing. I don’t think too many people would miss riding on the back of a garbage truck throwing trash cans around all day. Good for the city having the foresight to anticipate this.
Obviously it’s a good thing. It’s long overdue though. Other cities have been doing this for several years.
Also, there aren’t enough options, I would love to have size options like I’ve been afforded elsewhere.