This link, http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071117/NEWS16/71117002, from the Toledo Blade discusses the proposed budget and what council is saying about it so far. One item mentioned was the "automated garbage truck" run by the driver himself. I will be posting other links in comments to deal with this.
But I can see one problem already. People don't want containers outside their house in the front, but if they are put in the alley I can also see them becoming the "targets" of those who speed through alleys. Also, many people don't have alleys. So can we opt out of the program, and perhaps pay extra for the "personal service" of a three-man crew (the new trucks will cost more, but we will be paying less in human resources costs, such as sick pay, retirement, vacation, holidays, etc.).
Another idea might be to reduce the crew from three people (two "collectors" and the driver) to two (a "collector" and "collector/driver"). This might work this way: the driver stops, turns off the engine (to be in compliance with Ohio laws), helps the collector put garbage in the back of the truck, starts the vehicle up again ("godddammit, it won't start"), drives 20-40 feet, stops, and repeats the process. This might put more hours onto the route, but it might cut the crews by a third. There might also be less need for supervision. On the other hand, drivers might be stacked up behind the truck as the driver tries to deal with both driving, and collection. But it might work.
This link, http://www.moline.il.us/newsevents/news/2005News/Automated_garbage.asp, shows the 96 gallon container. There is also a short video that desribes how it is done in Moline, Illinois. Of course, Toledo will probably pick a less efficient system. Union town, you know.
Perhaps we could cut the costs of collection by ending the retirement system. Perhaps shift costs to the employee with a 401(k) system, and shift more of the medical to the employee. Or we could do that plus lay off employees. Or contract out the work. There are all kinds of options, and something might work. If not, we can always just let the garbage pile up.
Of course, there we may experience a few problems with these ve-hi-cles, such as happened in Dothan, Alabama, http://www.dothaneagle.com/gulfcoasteast/dea/local_news.apx.-content-articles-DEA-2007-08-08-0009.html.
Dothan, Alabama, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dothan,_Alabama, is about 64,000 people.
Hopefully, we won't have this problem, http://www.dothaneagle.com/gulfcoasteast/dea/search.apx.-content-articles-DEA-2007-11-07-0001.html, in our future. It could be a big law suit if it happens in the wrong place.
I wonder if letters like these,http://www.dothaneagle.com/gulfcoasteast/dea/search.apx.-content-articles-DEA-2007-11-15-0006.html, will be appearing in the Toledo Blade next year.
Try, try, again. I wonder if letters like these, http://tinyurl.com/334cx3, will be appearing in the Toledo Blade next year.
I guess we'll see the end of on-street parking, at least on garbage collection day.
Interesting thread on www.glasscityjungle.com on this new developement.
Sorry, http://glasscityjungle.com/wordpress/?p=2204#comments, about this new developement in the city's effort to "automate".
Why does the City have such a huge problem picking up its garbage? You don't hear Sylvania, Maumee or P-burg whining about this service. Even little old Holland gets the job done. Plus, they all offer curb side recycling. You'd think they were the ony City in the world that can't get a handle on its trash. It seems to me it is part administration run by the unions and part City residents too spoiled to come into compliance with a sensible program.
The extra fee was supposed to get people to recycle. It hasn't. People complain about the "extra tax", but could care less about recycling (which would reduce the fee), and the fact that in less than a generation we'll be looking for another land-fill. Perhaps we could burn our trash, but I don't see an investment in the technology to do it as cleanly as possible.
I recycle... but not sure if we ever filled out the pledge card. Not worried about it though because it's only a few bucks. Who cares?
Apparently, at least a half-dozen people who post on the web.
Holland asked: "Why does the City have such a huge problem picking up its garbage?"
In my opinion it comes down the way things were handled when the fee was added and during the summer when pick-up was skipped due to a holiday. This all became a big PR problem.
In Maumee, we just switched companies and it was handled really well. There was a little adjustment because everything gets picked up on the same day, Tuesday, so some had to get used to that. The only bump was that there wasn't an unlimited trash day this fall. I really missed that unlimited pick-up...