Nanaimo Buys Two New Garbage Trucks - $800,000

NEWS RELEASE

Council approves purchase of "Automation Ready" garbage trucks

Nanaimo City Council approved the purchase of two "Automation Ready" garbage trucks at a Special Open Council Meeting held Monday night, June 22. The new trucks will have the option to collect waste both manually (as per the current practice) and in an automated fashion (utilizing a mechanical arm). The tendering process for the trucks will now begin and it is hoped that the trucks will be in service by early 2016.

The two new trucks replace two existing trucks which have reached the end of their service life.

Funding for the two new trucks (expected to cost around $400,000 each) is already in place and has been provided through the City's Equipment Reserve Fund which is paid for by garbage user rates.

The trucks will initially be used to collect waste manually whilst Council considers the potential to move towards Automated collection.

Residents in Nanaimo currently pay $99.75 a year for the collection of solid waste at the curbside.

"The purchase of two new garbage trucks will allow us to replace some of our ageing solid waste collection fleet and to pursue the option of Automated collection in the future. This is a very positive step towards modernizing the way we collect solid waste in Nanaimo." -Charlotte Davis Manager of Sanitation and Recycling City of Nanaimo 

Staff will present options for the move to automated collection at a special meeting to be held in July. The benefits of automated collection include an expected reduction in worker injuries and a more user-friendly pick-up system.

The move to automated collection would necessitate the replacement of the remainder of the sanitation fleet and the purchase of around 90,000 wheeled carts.

Should Council wish to proceed with the automation of Solid Waste Collection services in Nanaimo it is possible that they may elect to proceed following the completion of the planned Core Services Review.