Solid waste collection automation in the United States

How Will Autonomous Vehicles Change Local Government Budgeting and Finance? Case Studies of On-Street Parking, Curb Management, and Solid Waste Collection

“…While AVs may be the future of refuse collection, cities nationwide have been increasing their reliance on solid waste collection trucks that utilized fully or semi-automated arms to pick up and dump refuse into trucks for more than 40 years (Rogoff 2014). These types of trucks often rely upon customers to place trash cans at the street curb, rather than what some cities previously called 'backyard pick-up' where workers might walk onto each property and fetch trash cans and bring the refuse to the truck.…”

“…The shift toward more automated collection, as is evident by the cost and efficiency improvements, is also driven by a desire to reduce "the physical demands on sanitation workers and the career-ending injuries they often suffered" (Rogoff 2014(Rogoff , 1031. Fully automated collection vehicles no longer require the driver to lift trash cans, which increases the pool of potential workers, increases worker comfort as they can just drive and operate the crane from inside the cab, and reduces fatigue and injury to the workers (US Environmental Protection Agency 1999, 28).…”

“…Longevity, or lower turnover, is another perk of less impactful work. Rogoff (2014Rogoff ( , 1032 points out that "it is not surprising to learn that most trash collection workers do not stay in that job past their mid-50s." Thus, the hiring and training costs of new employees could decrease as well.…”

“…The estimates of fewer vehicles being needed in the future are due to trends seen over the last 40 years, where the semi-or fully automated collection has improved the efficiency of collections. Workers in traditional trash collection could end up lifting six tons each day (Rogoff 2014;US Environmental Protection Agency 1999), taking a terrible toll on their bodies and ultimately slowing their ability to collect at a quicker rate. The improvements seen with the automated systems have produced more complex equipment that has higher costs for maintenance "because of increased hydraulic system complexity (but fleet size is typically reduced, so fewer vehicles are usually being maintained)" (US Environmental Protection Agency 1999, 28).…”

“…The more automated trash collection gets, the higher per unit capital costs go-"on average, the capital cost of an automated side-loader is 20 % more than that of a manual rear loader" (Rogoff 2014(Rogoff , 1032. Solid waste collection systems are adapting despite this higher cost because they see the economic advantage.…”