Small city collects big savings with refuse system
McMinnville, Tenn., a small town with approximately 12,000 residents, has fully automated its refuse fleet, which is operated by two employees. The automated system has saved $150,000 a year over the town’s previous collection system.
Less than three years ago, McMinnville was facing a refuse collection system burdened by aging equipment and personnel. The city used two rear loader refuse collection vehicles that dated to the 1980s. Both trucks were overburdened and under-powered, with ballooning maintenance costs. A three-person crew was assigned to each vehicle, and work-related injuries had become an issue.
“In addition to the manpower issues and aging equipment, we also had a big problem with abuse of our system by non-city residents,” says Brad Hennessee, assistant public works director. “There was no way to prove who was using [the containers]. If we saw that they were full, we’d pick them up, whether it was the scheduled pick-up day or not.”
The city purchased two DuraPack Rapid Rail automated side loaders manufactured by Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Heil Environmental. The bodies are mounted on 2001 chassis made by Allentown, Pa.-based Mack Trucks. The city also purchased 6,000, 96-gallon roll-out carts from Statesville, N.C.-based Toter for all city residences and some commercial establishments. The total cost for the new equipment was approximately $600,000.
The automated system began operating in January 2001. The city requires all residents to use the carts, while commercial establishments can choose between carts, metal dumpsters or not using the system. Additionally, all dumpsters are locked, with access limited to those paying for collection service. The dumpsters are collected using two Heil front loaders.
The new refuse system helped to reduce the amount of waste the city collected. “In moving to the automated system, we’ve reduced our volume by 15 percent by eliminating access for people who weren’t paying to use the system. We feel like that’s where we’ve gained the most savings,” Hennessee says.
In 2001, the city collected 11,500 tons of refuse. That number dropped to 10,100 tons in 2002. Hennessee estimates that collecting 1,400 fewer tons of waste saves McMinnville more than $47,000 per year. When the city includes the savings in landfill fees and private hauler fees, transfer costs, four fewer collection workers, and reduced truck maintenance and vehicle operating expenses, the total cost reduction totals around $150,000 per year.
At that rate, Hennessee says, the city will have completely paid for its automated system by the end of 2004. Additionally, the reduced operating costs mean that the Public Works Department can cover not only garbage collection and disposal expenses, but it also can pay on a bond issue for remediating a landfill several years ago — all without raising rates to customers.
The new automated system has provided some intangible benefits, as well. “We’ve had more positive comments about the appearance of the neighborhoods on garbage day,” Hennessee says. “In the past, we didn’t dictate what kind of container you used. So a person might have one metal can and one plastic can, while his neighbor would have just bags lying on the ground. Now everyone has the same container, and it looks very neat.”
