UBCM COMMUNITY EXCELLENCE AWARDS APPLICATION
AUTOMATED COLLECTION OF SOLID WASTE
JULY 2006
City of Vancouver: Automated Collection of Solid Waste
SUMMARY
The City of Vancouver is in the final stages of converting from manual collection to fully
automated collection of residential garbage and yard trimmings. This service change is one of
the most significant and visible changes the City's Engineering department has ever
implemented, impacting approximately 90,000 properties in Vancouver. The new automated
collection system uses specially designed carts that are emptied by a mechanical arm on the
collection trucks, rather than workers lifting and emptying cans by hand. The new system
improves worker safety, reduces injuries, increases diversity of the workforce, improves
neighbourhood aesthetics, reduces use of plastic bags and increases the level of service to
customers. Five sizes of garbage carts are offered to residents, facilitating implementation of
a variable rate user pay fee structure, which provides an incentive to divert waste through
reduction and recycling.
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City of Vancouver: Automated Collection of Solid Waste
INTRODUCTION
The City of Vancouver is in the final stages of converting from manual collection to fully
automated collection of residential garbage and yard trimmings.
Implementation of
automated collection is a very significant and visible change in the way these services are
delivered. Conversion began in October 2005 and will be complete in July 2006.
The City of Vancouver provides residential garbage and yard trimmings collection to
approximately 90,000 customers in Vancouver. The collection program operates as a self
financing utility, with all operating costs funded through user fees to homeowners. Garbage
and yard trimmings collection services are preformed by City crews.
As an alternative to the system where workers manually lift cans and bags, fully automated
collection uses specially designed wheeled carts that are lifted by a mechanical arm on the
trucks. The cart is lifted, emptied and returned entirely through the use of a remotely
controlled mechanical arm. The collection truck is operated by a single operator that does
not have to leave the cab.
Customers require special carts that are compatible with the mechanical lifting systems. The
carts have wheels and lids and come in a variety of sizes.
The benefits of moving to an automated collection system include improved worker safety,
injury reductions, increased diversity of the workforce, ability to administer more of user pay
system, reduced use of plastic bags, improved neighbourhood aesthetics and improved level
of service to customers.
INJURY REDUCTIONS
Prior to 2006, garbage and yard trimmings collection in Vancouver was performed
predominantly by manually lifting materials into the collection vehicles. Collection crews
would lift, on average, over 6 tonnes (13,000 lbs.) per worker per day. In general, this heavy,
repetitive, manual lifting combined with an aging workforce tended to generate an increasing
number of injured staff.
The fully automated collection program enhances worker safety and comfort, minimizes
manual lifting and exposure to possible hazards in the waste such as sharp objects. Fully
automated collection eliminates heavy lifting, walking between setouts and frequent steps on
and off the truck. The mechanical arms on fully automated trucks are typically operated by
the driver using a joystick control. The reduced physical requirements increases the diversity
and longevity of the workforce that is able to collect waste.
Automated collection is expected to significantly reduce collection worker injuries resulting
in reduced workers compensation costs, decreasing disability claims, decreasing the number
and cost of light duty assignments, and reducing salary fringe benefit costs in the future.
Phasing in of automated collection will not be complete until mid July 2006, however a
significant reduction in injuries and sick time is already evident, as can be seen in Table 1 and
Table 2. To-date, no time loss injuries associated with fully automated collection have
occurred.
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City of Vancouver: Automated Collection of Solid Waste
Table 1: Time Loss Injuries 2003 - 2006
Time Loss Injuries
Garbage
Yard Trimmings
Year
Total
Collection
Collection
2003
28
3
31
2004
14
5
19
2005
10
1
11
2006
4 (to May 31) *
1 (to May 31) **
5 (to May 31)
* 1 semi automated injury, 2 manual collections injuries, 1 injury in the cart warehouse
** 1 manual collection injury
Table 2: Sick Time 2000 - 2006
Year
2003
2004
2005
2006
Sick Time - Number of Shifts
Garbage
Yard Trimmings
Collection
Collection
907
160
945
204
871
99
270 (to May 31)
21 (to May 31)
291
Total
1067
1047
970
(to May 31)
USER PAY STRUCTURE
The use of various fixed size carts allows the City to move closer to true user pay for garbage
disposal. Residents pay only for the service they need. Implementation of a user pay
structure increases equity in the funding of the collection programs and eliminates the
subsidy of larger generators by small generators.
In the previous manual can collection system, customers were allocated a basic service level
of two cans for garbage collection weekly. Those properties that were ardent recyclers and
who reduced waste and regularly set out less than two full cans of garbage did not see any
savings as they pay the same as those that use two full cans.
Similarly for yard trimmings collection, customers were allocated a standard service level of 4
items (can, bags or bundles) collected every second week. The need for yard trimmings
collection varies significantly between homeowners in Vancouver. Some properties have very
small yards, little greenery, and compost almost everything that they generate. Other
properties have large yards and could easily use multiple large containers for their yard
trimmings disposal, even if they do some home composting.
For garbage collection, five cart sizes are now offered for weekly collection service. For yard
trimmings, four cart sizes are offered for bi-weekly collection. The annual collection fees
vary with the size of the cart.
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City of Vancouver: Automated Collection of Solid Waste
Table 3: Annual Rates for Collection Service
Cart Size
Garbage
Yard Trimmings*
75 litres
120 litres
180 litres
240 litres
360 litres
$70
$82
$99
$115
$147
n/a
$32
$34
$37
$42
* estimated fees to start in 2007
For comparison, in 2005, single family property owners paid $92 per year for garbage service
(two cans per week) whether they set out one or two cans; each additional can of service cost
$32 per can. For yard trimmings, single family property owners paid $38 per year to set out
up to four items every two weeks.
The new pricing structure encourages users to select the appropriate cart size and reflects
the cost of servicing. This pricing structure is also very flexible and can easily be adjusted to
meet future social, economic and environmental goals.
The variable pricing draws more attention to the amount of waste residents produce,
increasing awareness of collection and disposal costs for waste. This ensures increased
understanding of service value for fees paid.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
The use of carts for automated collection brings a number of environmental benefits.
Tailoring the size of the cart to the amount of garbage produced and charging a higher cost
for larger garbage cart sizes encourages residents to recycle and reduce the amount of waste
disposed in landfills. The use of carts enhances accountability for waste, allowing future
generations to have access to resources and encourage the use of renewable resources.
Automated yard trimmings collection programs eliminate the need to use plastic bags which
end up in the Landfill and reduce the quality and usability of the City’s compost. In
Vancouver this eliminates disposal of over 800,000 plastic bags (approximately 40 tonnes) per
year. In spite of careful efforts to debag at curbside, plastic contamination in the City’s
compost is having a very negative impact on compost quality which jeopardizes marketing of
the product.
Carts are more resistant to animals, which reduces unsightly blowing litter and strewn
garbage, and replaces unsightly set-outs with a single uniform container. Carts with lids also
help to reduce odours and keep water out of setouts, which reduces leakage from trucks. In a
fully automated system, carts are returned neatly to their setout location with the lids closed
which helps the lane remain orderly.
Supplying a yard trimmings cart to each property encourages use of the yard trimmings
collection program. Increased participation in the program is expected, which will help
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City of Vancouver: Automated Collection of Solid Waste
minimize the amount of yard trimmings being disposed in the garbage stream and reduce the
amount of fall leaves being raked into the street.
INCREASED LEVEL OF SERVICE
Automated solid waste collection is considered a higher level of service (versus manual
collection) for residents. For most residents, wheeled carts are easier to move and set out
than cans and bags that must be lifted.
Five garbage cart size options are offered, which is one of the widest selections available in
the market allowing for greatest user flexibility, equity and fairness.
The new wheeled containers are extremely durable and convenient to use and residents no
longer need to buy replacement garbage cans or plastic yard trimmings bags. The wheeled
carts are easy to move. The lid is always on the cart. Wheeled carts are much simpler to use
for yard trimmings than yard cans, plastic bags, or bundling branches.
FLEXIBILITY
Automating the collection programs allows greater flexibility for such things as scheduling and
shift configuration. This greater flexibility will allow for additional efficiency and service
improvements than the previous configuration provided. Once the heavy manual element of
the work is eliminated it is possible to redesign the collection schedule so that all of our
customers are serviced on 4 days of the week. This would involve extended work days, which
could not have been supported previously given the nature of the manual collection work but
is no longer an issue with automated collection.
PUBLIC COMMUNICATION
The implementation of such a dramatic change in service required a significant public
awareness and education campaign.
The communications plan included mailouts to each customer explaining automated
collection and providing recommendations for cart sizes, advertisements in local newspapers
describing how the new program will work, information included with annual collection
calendar and tax notice mailouts, cart displays in malls and community centres, media
releases, radio and television interviews, and promotion on the City’s website.
The awareness and education campaign culminated in residents selecting garbage and yard
trimmings cart sizes that best meet their needs. From the approximately 90,000 properties
the City services, over 70,000 cart selection responses were received. The exceptional
response rate indicates residents now have an increased awareness of this service provided by
the City of Vancouver, and increased understanding of fees for service.
The carts are also very visible items at every residential property in Vancouver, serving as a
reminder of the service the City provides. Each cart also advertises the City’s website
vancouver.ca where information about City’s services can be found.
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City of Vancouver: Automated Collection of Solid Waste
CONCLUSION
The benefits of moving to an automated collection system include improved worker safety,
injury reductions, increased diversity of the workforce, ability to administer more of user pay
system, reduced use of plastic bags, improved neighbourhood aesthetics and improved level
of service to customers.
The process of educating and engaging the public to choose the appropriate cart size to meet
their needs, has increased public awareness of the City’s garbage and yard trimmings
collection programs.
Phasing in of automated collection in Vancouver will not be complete until mid July 2006,
however, significant reductions in injuries and sick time are already evident.
The City of Vancouver is pleased with the program’s success and is confident the benefits of
automated collection will continue to strengthen as the program matures.
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