WILMINGTON — In an attempt to expand route capacity and meet growing community needs, the City of Wilmington’s new trash fleet will be in operation this month. This means customers will see changes to their pickup days.
READ MORE: City details new automated trash collection, over 10K customers will change trash days this year
On Sept. 23, a new line of six automated trucks and two rear-loaders will make up the fleet in the city. Port City Daily asked roughly how much each ASL truck cost and if long-term savings come with the purchase; this will be updated upon the city’s response.
The city noted staff have received training to optimize collection routes as the trucks’ automated arms will clear curbside receptacles instead of having to rely on physical labor. The ASL trucks require one driver versus the rear-loading trucks mandating up to three people per vehicle — a driver and two trash carriers.
However, city spokesperson Lauren Edwards said the city has not lost any employees in its department due to the change. Temporary workers helped operate the former trucks.
“This makes the service more efficient and resilient, reducing the reliance on temporary labor to fill gaps created by labor shortages,” she wrote in an email to PCD.
It also helps improve safety, since staff aren’t physically moving trash carts in the roadways.
The automated trucks build capacity to 1,100 stops a day, as opposed to 800 stops formerly executed during a shift.
The changes bring with it collection-day impacts. A third of customers will have new service days for trash pickup. Information will be mailed regarding the changes, but a map is also available here for customers to see if their addresses are impacted.
Residents now serviced by ASLs will need to implement new measures so the automated arm can reach the receptacles.
Customers must ensure:
- Cart lids are closed completely
- Cart handle and wheels face toward your house
- Cart is placed within 2 feet of the curb or roadside, with 3 feet of space on all sides
There are still particular alleys, one-way streets, dead ends, and dense on-street parking areas that will be serviced by rear-loading trucks, due to ASLs unable to reach them. Customers still served by rear-loading trucks may also face collection-day changes due to newly optimized routes.
Recycling and yard waste will be collected by rear-loading trucks on the new routes and service days as well. It’s expected these trucks will eventually be replaced by an ASL fleet in the future.
The city will have an additional roaming collection truck operating during the transition, to ensure service is not impacted.
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