bananimal

When I lived in Charlotte, NC the trucks had a side grab system. A pair of pincers/mandibles was lowered to wrap around approx 55 gal roll out cans that were provided by the service. They were lidded. Grab, lift and dump - can placed back upright. No plant damage, no can damage. May squish a squirrel now and then.

It worked well cause it gets really tight in cul-de-sacs. In a really tight radius the driver gets out and pushes the can nearer the truck. He then pulls both adjacent neighbor cans for access at the same time. On straight runs it is the fastest, most efficient system ever. The front loader would not handle tight spaces well - too much repositiioning the truck. Also a dumpster looking can would not be popular with the little old lady brigades.

I would love to see a system like the one in Charlotte. The bigger can also means a cost savings of doing only one pick up a week. Also only one worker is needed, the driver. You can really fit alot of stuff in those big cans. I remember seeing those big cans in Ft Lauderdale a few years ago. Anyone else see them in action?