Port Alberni city council will spend just under $1 million on three new garbage trucks, six years after purchasing the current ones.
Council approved the replacement of two residential garbage trucks and one Sterling Condor garbage truck.
The three new Freightliner/Labrie automated garbage trucks, supplied by Rollins Machinery, cost $954,867, including extended warranty. After trading in the three current trucks the price will reduce by $114,000.
The new trucks will have a split body design for kitchen and garden waste.
Money for the trucks will come from the city’s Equipment Replacement Fund.
Wilf Taekema, manager of operations with the City of Port Alberni, told council on Tuesday night that a committee was formed o research and evaluate the need for new automated residential garbage trucks.
“With the direction from council back n July to move to a dual stream pickup, they’re wanting us to go and collect garbage as well as kitchen waste and garden waste,” Taekema said. “We realized the need for a split body truck which is common in municipalities that are providing that service now.”
Taekema said the three trucks would be rotated through the city’s eight garbage-collection routes and through service and maintenance cycles, helping to avoid service interruptions and extending the life of the trucks.
This would help the trucks have a 10-year service life as opposed to seven years.
“We feel very strongly that we need to have a backup truck,” Taekema said.
The trucks aren’t expected to be in service until late 2018.
“If we put the order in tomorrow we’re looking at at least eight months to get them delivered, so well into 2018 before they’re in service,” Taekema said.