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City's solid waste collection to be automated

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed April 4, 2017 1:43 PM

Summary

The City of Nanaimo is moving forward with plans to automate solid waste collection services. During last night's meeting, Council undertook a "rise and report" motion to inform residents of the outcome of an In Camera meeting held on March 27 concerning automation. Using automation, a refuse collector will no longer exit the truck at each residence to manually load the waste, instead special "automated" trucks will allow the collector to remain in the driver's seat and control a mechanical arm that will load the waste into the truck.

City staff will continue to deliver solid waste collection services. They will also take over the collection of recycling which is currently done by a contractor.

Link to Strategic Plan: The decision to automate solid waste collection services using City-owned resources was recommended by the City's Core Service Review Report, a major guiding document of the City.

Key Points

  • City Council have approved a recommendation to automate solid waste collection services provided to City of Nanaimo residents.
  • This service is planned to be delivered in two phases. A more detailed project plan will be available later this month.
  • A plan will be put forward in the future to incorporate Yard Waste collection into the service.

Quotes

"The automation of our solid waste collection services will bring some really positive improvements for residents and staff. Residents will enjoy the sturdy, clean and easy to manoeuvre wheeled carts and collection crews will appreciate the move away from the physically demanding nature of the work. We will be working hard to implement this project in a way that makes it the best it can be for Nanaimo residents. Watch for lots of community events and opportunities to provide feedback on the project prior to implementation. I look forward to working with staff and residents as we bring this project forward."

Charlotte Davis
Manager of Sanitation, Recycling and Public Works Administration
City of Nanaimo

Quick Facts

  • The City of Nanaimo provides solid waste collection services to 27,622 residences in Nanaimo. This includes single family dwellings, duplexes and fourplexes. Multi-family buildings, trailer parks, stratas and businesses are serviced by the private sector.
  • Automated solid waste collection requires the use of special wheeled carts that are used to collect the waste. Residences will each be provided with a set of carts in advance of the project implementation.
  • Yard waste continues to be prohibited from City solid waste collections at this time
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Contact:

Charlotte Davis
Manager of Sanitation, Recycling and Public Works Administration
City of Nanaimo
250 758 5222

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