Sanitation Pilot: Overview, FAQ and Mission Critical Path April 16, 2014

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1 Sanitation Pilot Overview DeKalb County s 3 month Sanitation Pilot will begin April 28, The Sanitation Pilot is designed to test consolidating collections of all materials to one day per week. Items to be tested include the use of 65 gallon roll carts, a compressed work schedule for drivers and collectors in the pilot, and new types of collection trucks. The pilot includes 28,000 households throughout DeKalb County. Included are areas of unincorporated DeKalb, and portions of Brookhaven, Chamblee, Dunwoody, and Lithonia. Key Features of the Pilot Garbage, Recycling, and Yard Trimmings for composting will be collected on the same day in separate containers; garbage will be collected in a new 65 gallon green roll cart delivered to your home, Recycling in 18 gallon recycling bins and blue bags, and yard trimmings in customer supplied paper bags or other appropriate containers. For pilot participants, collections will occur on their current recycling day. Each household in the pilot will receive a 65-gallon green roll cart for garbage collection. Placing garbage securely in bags prior to placement in carts will minimize odors and insects and will help maintain a clean cart. Three different types of vehicles will be used in the pilot. Each vehicle type differs in technology and the number of employees needed to operate it. These differences will be evaluated on efficiencies and safety. Mission Critical Path April Activities Mailing FAQs Survey Questions Brochure Baggies Stuffed PSA Press Release Distribution of Carts Commissioner Meetings COW? Lithonia Meeting Keep Brookhaven Beautiful Pep Rally Start of Service T W Th F S S M T W Th F S S M T W Th F S S M T W Th F S S M T W Responsible Party Diamond Burke Vendor Dionne Morris Tony Everyone!!! P a g e 1

2 Frequently Asked Questions: Who was selected to be a Sanitation Pilot participant? Pilot participants were selected from throughout the county. Selected participants were notified by mail and will receive 65-gallon green roll carts for household waste. A brochure will be provided along with the cart to answer basic questions on how to use the cart. How will the 65-gallon carts be distributed? Selected pilot participants will receive home delivery of a green 65-gallon roll-cart for household garbage up to two weeks before the start date of April 28, What is the difference between a bin, a cart and a container? A bin refers to the 18 gallon blue bin which may continue to be used for recycling paper, cans, and bottles; blue bags may be used with the bin for recyclables. A cart is a 64 gallon wheeled container with a lid attached to the handle; carts are supplied by DeKalb County and must be used for the collection of garbage during the pilot. In the pilot areas, garbage may not be collected in customersupplied containers or trash cans. When does the Sanitation Pilot End? This is a 3-month Pilot that will begin the week of April 28, 2014 and continue through Thursday, July 31, How does the Sanitation Pilot work? Pilot participants are to place any materials for collection on the curb before 7:00AM on the day recycling is currently collected on their street. Recycling and Yard trimmings recycling should still be placed in separate bags or bins as they were before the pilot. Garbage should be in the 65 gallon green carts. Collections should be completed by 6:30PM that day. The cart should then be moved back to its place of storage by the resident. Carts may not stay on the street overnight. What is the difference between hand loaded, manual, semi-automated, and fully automated garbage collection? Hand loaded or manual collection: The collector lifts and dumps the container of its contents without assistance. (DeKalb Sanitation s current collection method). Semi-Automated Collection: The collector rolls the cart to the truck where a lift (tipper) then picks up the cart, dumping its contents into the truck. This technology reduces the need for the collector to lift the cart thereby resulting in fewer injuries than hand loaded or manual collections. Fully Automated Collection: The cart is retrieved by the driver of the garbage truck using a mechanical arm. Through this method, contents of the cart are then dumped into the truck. The driver, through use of the mechanical arm then places the cart back to the location where it was originally retrieved. This technology works best where the street network is straight and on-street parking is limited. What is a tipper? P a g e 2

3 A tipper is a machine mounted on the side or rear of a garbage truck. The tipper uses hydraulics to lift and empty contents of the cart. Use of tippers eliminates most circumstances where the collector would manually lift the cart. Reducing the number of lifts required by the collector reduces opportunities for the collector to be injured. What are some of the benefits of items being tested in the pilot? Reduced litter from improperly prepared garbage or cans without a lid; Carts are designed to prevent dogs and other animals from using garbage as a food source; Carts are less likely to blow over or roll into the street; Improved efficiencies will be realized by reducing the number of collection days, allowing our current pricing to remain at current levels. The collection method will reduce injuries that come from repeated lifting of heavy carts or containers Pilot areas should have an improved look and feel on collection day by having a consistent look and feel of carts. Carts are designed with wheels to improve ease of movement to the street. Carts will be owned and maintained by DeKalb Sanitation without additional cost to households in the pilot. Trash containers or carts are currently purchased and maintained by each household and consist of varying size, color, and condition. Same day collection for waste, recyclables, and yard trimmings will keep the streets neater and eliminates confusion about collection day. How will the pilot reduce worker injuries? Hand loading or manual collection of garbage requires frequent lifting in conditions that are often less than ideal. Each residential route in the DeKalb Sanitation system serves an average of 1,000 single family households per day. Manual collections require this material be lifted in conditions that vary greatly with the weather. In addition garbage often contains potentially sharp objects (i.e. broken glass) and potentially harmfully chemicals. Discarded food attracts biting insects and animals as a food source. Through the use of carts, lifting movements will be reduced and exposure to collectors from potentially harmfully contents of garbage will be limited, reducing costs from accidents and injuries. Reducing costs will allow us to continue to provide reasonably-priced waste collection services to our customers. Will the use of semi or fully-automated equipment cause layoffs? No. Should the pilot be implemented system-wide, any employee displaced by these changes will have the option of being transferred to a similar position within the county or be redirected to other Sanitation Department efforts. In addition to collecting materials from our commercial and residential customers, Sanitation is responsible for mowing county and state roadways, coordinating cleanup of illegal dumping sites, maintaining natural areas, and participating in some stream restoration projects. Who owns the cart? What happens if my cart is damaged or stolen? Carts are the property of and are provided to customers as part of the pilot. Each cart has a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) wafer which identifies the household for which the cart was assigned. Sanitation will repair any damaged lids, wheels or handles. If the cart is not repairable, the cart will be swapped out with a replacement cart. However, it is the responsibility of the customer to keep the inside of the cart clean and free of loose garbage. P a g e 3

4 Can the cart be used for other purposes? No, your cart is assigned to your address for garbage collection only. The sanitation division will maintain location information to assure that carts are in their assigned location. Do not use the cart to move heavy objects; please let the sanitation division know if the cart is missing or in need of repair. What happens if the Pilot is not successful? If the Pilot is not successful, Sanitation will retrieve the carts. Do I need to bag my garbage? Yes. All garbage must be bagged and securely tied prior to being placed inside the cart. This will keep the cart clean, minimize odors and insects, and prevent loose material from falling into the street during collection. Why does the lid on the cart need to be closed? Lids should remain closed to keep animals, birds, and insects out of the cart and to prevent rain water from accumulating in the cart. Can I use my current garbage cans or cart during the pilot? No. Pilot participants must use the 65-gallon roll cart provided by the county for garbage collection. These carts are authorized by the county and municipalities in which our customers live. Garbage will not be collected in any other container or cart. What if there isn t enough room in the cart for all the garbage? Sanitation prefers that you place all garbage inside the cart. If the amount of garbage exceeds the size of the cart, Sanitation encourages you to subscribe to our FREE Residential Curbside Recycling by calling (404) Recycling allows you to divert recyclables from your garbage and the landfill to the 18 gallon recycling bin and the 40 gallon blue bags. However, if you have filled the cart, DeKalb Sanitation will allow one (1) bag of garbage to be placed next to the cart for pick up. As a reminder, please keep the top of the cart free of any material so that it can be serviced by the garbage truck tippers. Will DeKalb Sanitation still provide a bulky item and appliance pick up service? Yes. The supervisors will send out a separate vehicle to collect these items. Contact our Customer Service Division at (404) for information on what items are acceptable and to arrange a pick up. Will the service cost more? No. The pilot is designed to reduce inefficiencies and improve safety so that the cost to customers can remain at or near current levels into the future. What happens to recycling and yard trimmings during the Pilot? For Pilot participant Recycling and Yard Trimmings Recycling will be collected on the same as garbage using different vehicles. Yard trimmings and Recycling should continue to be prepared in separate bags or containers and placed on the curb next to garbage for collection no later than 7:00AM on your current day for Yard Trimmings and Recycling. If you are unaware of P a g e 4

5 the day for Yard Trimmings and Recycling in your neighborhood, please contact Customer Service at (404) What happens at the end of the Pilot? At the completion of the pilot, data collected from operation of the equipment and survey data collected from both customers and employees will be evaluated by a third party vendor. This information will be analyzed for customer interest and operations efficiencies and then compared against other Sanitation collection practices. Results of the customer surveys and Pilot operations will be evaluated and delivered to the CEO, the Board of Commissioners, and municipal officials. For residents of Brookhaven, Chamblee, Dunwoody, and Lithonia: Sanitation services are provided through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) unique to each City. Results will be presented for each City in addition to a summary for the entire service area. Should the governing authority of each City choose, (usually City Council) the MOA may be amended. For residents of unincorporated DeKalb: Administration will bring a recommendation to the Board of Commissioners based on the recommendations from the third party vendor. Any changes in the structure of service will be decided by the Board of Commissioners. Does the service go back to two day collection after the Pilot? The future of Sanitation services will be determined by the Board of Commissioners and City Councils we service. Do we keep our 65-gallon cart regardless of what happens to the service? No. If the pilot is accepted by the customers and the one time per week garbage collection is adopted, the residential customers will keep the carts. If the Pilot is not approved for permanent adoption, Sanitation will retrieve the carts. Will my rates change with the new equipment? No. The eventual roll-out of the pilot to the entire service area was designed to reduce the likelihood that rates will increase in the near future. The fee associated with Sanitation has remained the same since January 1, Full implementation of the pilot does not mean that there will not be future rate increases; rather it is designed to relieve any short term need to increase rates. Any future decision to increase the charge for garbage collection will be made by the Board of Commissioners and City Councils for customers within those jurisdictions. P a g e 5