INC NEWS - solid waste article in todays paper

[Regina deLacy]

The automated trucks, staffed with one driver/operator, have been in 
service in Hope Valley Farms and in Woodlake for at least five years.  
Residents were provided green waste cans several years before the trucks 
came into use.  The old three-operator trucks had a lift attachment on 
the back to dump the cans.  The new trucks use the same type cans.  
Maybe that's why cans for the total population weren't in the budget; a 
good many folks already have them.

Here are a few things we have discovered about the process. 

Three feet on each side of the can must remain clear, so the articulated 
arms can surround the can.  Initially, folks were parking too close to 
the cans or putting the cans to close to one another.  When that 
happens, the truck can't reach the can, so your trash may not be picked 
up.  Folks figure that one out really quickly.

The can has to be at least six feet from the mailbox, or there is a 
chance the post won't be delivered, since letter carriers are not 
allowed out of their trucks except for breaks and lunch, to deliver 
packages to front doors or to deliver to handicapped residents. 

We had some problems initially with the above two issues in 
neighborhoods that have a good deal of on-the-street parking, but 
residents eventually worked with each other to develop a system that 
worked for everybody.

Whatever you want to toss must fit in the can or be balanced on top.  If 
you have more trash than that, you have to call for a special pick up or 
ask your neighbor if he will take your overflow.  If you routinely have 
more trash than that, you should consider getting a second trash can.

If the can is not in the gutter, with the wheels and hinge facing the 
house, there is a potential for some spillage of contents, or damage to 
the can, like wheels or lids coming off, but that's another resident 
education problem. 

When residents weren't moving their cans back on to their properties, 
neighbors  would either move their cans for them or, put the cans in the 
middle of their driveways as a gentle reminder.  A combination of 
kindness and peer pressure seem to work more effectively than fines.

The bottom line is, the world won't be coming to an end because of this 
change.


 - Regina deLacy