国产麻豆

When the City of Cape Girardeau needed to upgrade their equipment due to the transition to automate collection and implement single-stream recycling, they found that Armor Equipment was well equipped to lead them through the process.

In the City of Cape Girardeau, MO, the Public Works Department collects all of the city鈥檚 residential refuse and recycling (commercial business, apartment buildings, or houses with more than three households in them are collected by commercial trash haulers). Working with their own transfer station, recycling center and recycling drop-off facility, the Public Works Department services nearly 11,000 residential homes throughout the city. Over the years, collection services have changed, first starting out by allowing each home an unlimited amount of trash picked up twice per week.听 In 1990, the city started their recycling program and at that time instead of doing two refuse collections, each resident was allowed one recycling pickup and one refuse collection per week (still maintaining two collections per week). Over the years, the amount of refuse collected decreased from unlimited amount of trash, to three cans a week during the resident鈥檚 specified refuse collection day, then to only two 35 gallon cans a week on the collection day. Then, in May 2010, the Public Works Department made its most dramatic change when they transitioned to automated trash collection and single-stream recycling. Mike Tripp, the Public Work Department鈥檚 Solid Waste Superintendent, stresses that in the solid waste industry, everyone is always working on and trying to find a safer, easier, and more economical ways operate daily collections. 鈥淥ur routes were expanding and the town was growing and spreading out really making it hard to cover all the routes in our daily work shifts so we eventually came to the conclusion to go with automated trash collection and single-stream recycling.鈥�

Upgrading Operations

After the decision was made to transition to automated collection, Tripp contacted several companies about the Department鈥檚 interest in changing collection methods and getting help in seeing other cities and their collection methods. As a result, Tripp, C.T. Hendricks Fleet Coordinator, Steve Cook Assistant Public Works Director, and Tim Gramling Public Works Director, were taken to different locations to see different trucks and carts that were in use, as well as the different rules and policies in order to determine whether or not they would work for the City of Cape Girardeau. Eventually, Cape鈥檚 staff visited Armor Equipment who showed them their carts and automated equipment available. 鈥淲e liked what we saw with the Heil Python trucks and the Toter Carts. The best-case scenario was that we could get them added to our 2009/2010 budget year that starts in July. Although we had a rough estimate of the cost of the equipment and carts, at the time we didn鈥檛 know which company we would end up choosing when all the budget requests had to be turned in, so when we got all of the carts and trucks delivered to us, it only took about year and half to go through that part of the process. During that time we took carts and equipment to the fair, City Council meetings, community meetings, radio and television ads, senior citizen centers鈥攚e showed them to anyone that was interested in learning about it.鈥�

Armor Equipment (Arnold, MO) has been in business for more than 40 years providing the refuse industry with new and used equipment, as well as parts and service.听 The company provides customers in southern Illinois, Missouri and Kansas with a complete line of municipal equipment including refuse trucks, compactors, containers, carts, recycling equipment, dump trucks and street sweepers. Says Tripp Manheimer, President of Armor Equipment, 鈥淲e were pleased that Mike Tripp recognized Armor Equipment as a valuable resource for the evaluation of automating their fleet.听 Mike worked closely with his Armor Equipment Regional Sales Manager, John Krejci who brought 28 years of refuse industry experience to the table.鈥�听听

听

Ultimately, the Public Works Department purchased Toter Carts in three different sizes and colors. 鈥淭he standard set of carts we issue to a resident is 96-gallon greenstone cart for recycling and a 64 gallon sandstone cart for refuse collection. We also offer a smaller 48-gallon greenstone and sandstone carts for senior citizens or households with two or fewer residents living in the home,鈥� says Tripp. 鈥淥ur other cart we have available is a 96-gallon bluestone that we put out at fire stations, parks and city hall for residents to put their glass in for recycling because we don鈥檛 accept glass in our single-stream recycling program.鈥澨� City Staff also chose to purchase six 2010 Peterbilt 320 with 28 yard Heil Python Arm. With these items, the Department eliminated the need for the residents to sort out their recycling materials. 鈥淚f a container busts because of something we did, we will replace the cart for them. The amount of trash that fits in one of the 64 gallon carts is greater than the trash amount that was fitting in their two 35 gallon cans. We also had a weight limit of 75 pounds because our employees were lifting the cans; now, there isn鈥檛 a weight limit on the carts because the truck is lifting the carts.鈥�

A More Positive Work Force

Since transitioning to the new collection service of single stream recycling and automated trash collection in May 2010, recycling has been easier for the residents. Giving them a cart to use in their recycling efforts has greatly increased participation rates. Prior to implementation, an average of 2,500 residents were recycling on any given week; now, the average is 4,300. 鈥淲e had several residents that were very skeptical of going to this new collection service because they thought the carts were too big and bulky, some felt that they wouldn鈥檛 be able to get the carts to the curb, and some people just didn鈥檛 want to recycle us giving them a cart was forcing them to do something they didn鈥檛 want to do, but after a few months of collection, the majority of the skeptics loved the collection service. The residents that I have talked to all love the fact they were given the carts because it looks neater and it is so much easier to recycle,鈥� says Tripp. 鈥淚 originally thought our glass recycling would greatly decrease because we weren鈥檛 collecting it at their house anymore鈥攖hey actually had to bring it to our drop-off facility, a fire station, city hall or one of the parks鈥攂ut it鈥檚 stayed the same as it was when we were picking it up at the curb.鈥�

On the refuse collection side, residents now have only one rolling cart to put out at the curb.听听 In addition, the weight of the carts is no longer an issue because the truck is lifting them compared to Department employees picking them up and dumping them into the back of the truck. Tripp points out that his employees wouldn鈥檛 ever change back to picking up trash cans because now they sit in the cab operating the arm by joystick鈥攁ll of the physical work done for them. As always, they have to concentrate and be aware of their surroundings at all times, but they are a lot happier. 鈥淒uring the process, we also changed our hours of operation, starting at 7:30 a.m. instead of 6:00 a.m. Injuries have decreased, and attitudes towards their job have changed to a more positive work force. This is the biggest value that has come out of the whole process. All of these factors make the transition priceless.鈥�

听

鈥淚t was a pleasure working with Mike and his staff. They were all open to our input and ideas.听 We were able to arrange a meeting for them with the City of St. Peters, MO, which has been running automated equipment and carts since 1990.听 They were able to ask questions and openly discuss implementing an automated system without feeling the pressure of being sold something,鈥� says Manheimer. 鈥淲e understand that it takes time to evaluate city-wide changes, so we made an effort to help with the process at each stage of their evaluation, including demonstration equipment at some of their public awareness events.鈥�

Tripp explains, 鈥淲e have and continue to work with several companies that deal in refuse equipment, it鈥檚 policy for us to contact all companies that have expressed interest in getting a bid packet, but we also purchase off Federal and State contracts. In this instance Armor Equipment was the dealer for the trucks and carts we were purchasing.听 Our contacts at Armor Equipment, John Krejci, Dennis Callanan, and Tripp Manheirmer have always been courteous and helpful.听 They assisted us with getting trucks and carts to demo, warranty information, answering any questions we might have had, and have always suggested any ideas that could make our operations easier and more efficient.听 In this particular case they took us to areas where Toter carts were in use, and to St. Peters, MO, to see the Heil trucks in use.听 It has been a positive experience dealing with these gentlemen as we made our changes in the process of picking up recycling and refuse in the City of Cape Girardeau.鈥�

For more information on the City of Cape Girardeau, MO, contact Michael Tripp, Solid Waste Superintendent or Tim Gramling, Public Works Director at (573) 339-6351.

听

For more information on Armor Equipment, contact Tripp Manheimer, President, at (800) 777-2766, e-mail [email protected] or visit .

听

听