Have Fun with Recycling: Check Out This Year’s Truck Wraps

If you love garbage trucks as much as we do (and we definitely do!), then you’ve probably noticed the different designs we have on the sides of our trucks. Every time the City purchases a set of new refuse trucks, SLCgreen designs an informational decal to help keep our community up to date about waste & recycling. Whether it’s a reminder to not put plastic bags in your recycling bin, or quotes from famous conservationists to inspire recycling, our truck wraps give us a chance to have some fun and help educate Salt Lake City residents about the importance of proper recycling.

Your inner child will love our latest truck wraps, which playfully remind everyone why recycling is the way to go!

Awesome Trucks Deserve Awesome Truck Wraps

Salt Lake City residents of all ages appreciate just how cool our refuse trucks really are. Our youngest residents are especially excited when it’s collection day in their neighborhoods, but even adults can appreciate the importance of having efficient waste collection.

Salt Lake City’s waste collection has come a long way. Before the trucks had lifts for the garbage bins, crew members had to lift bins by hand. Nowadays, our teams collect recyclables from an estimated 42,000 residential homes, plus 650 small businesses and multi-family complexes every day, five days per week. An average of 800 tons of recyclable material are collected each month.

Salt Lake City’s refuse haulers are a combination of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and clean diesel trucks in an effort to reduce emissions from the City’s fleet. The newest additions are Labrie Automizer Right Hand ASL trucks that operate with CNG.

Want the specs? Here are a few cool facts about our newest trucks:

• An exclusive re-grip function automatically grips container on the top of dump cycle– this helps stop containers from falling into the truck.
• Equipped with a 12 foot reaching arm, operators can maneuver around parked cars and other objects, increasing driver safety and efficiencies by allowing the driver to remain in the cab.
• The right-hand arm design is considered one of the fastest and smoothest in the market, which allows drivers to remain comfortable and better focused on operating the hydraulic system, and therefore increases productivity.
• A lower hopper height allows for faster dump cycles and less possibility of over-head incidents (i.e. the truck hitting tree branches, streetlights and other objects).
• Curbside hopper access has built in safety features (i.e. lower to ground, a ladder, a place to stand, and an easy-opening door). This helps the driver remove containers that have accidentally fallen into the truck. It also keeps the driver from having to walk into traffic.
• The trucks have powerful compactors. Material compaction= 850 lbs./cubic yard.
• They have a larger legal load capacity due to the truck body construction being made with lighter-weight steel.

What are the benefits of a CNG fuel system?

• 23% fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to typical diesel fuel.
• 98% of compressed natural gas is supplied from the U.S. and Canada.
• CNG trucks are 10 decibels quieter than a diesel truck.

El Ciclo de Reciclaje

For the first time, this year’s truck wraps will provide information in Spanish and English. Many of Salt Lake City’s residents speak Spanish. Improving access to information will help everyone in Salt Lake City benefit from our robust waste & recycling programs, including curbside recycling and compost as well as the City’s Call 2 Haul household bulky waste collection program.

Help Keep SLC Recycling

SLC’s young residents know our trucks are cool, but they also know that recycling is an important process that help protect the planet. This year’s truck wraps demonstrate the fun side of recycling, but they also prove the importance of recycling:

• Aluminum cans can be recycled over and over again, making them ideal resources for recycling.
• Recycling plastics saves energy and resources, and helps keep plastic debris out of our waterways.
• By recycling cardboard, we can reduce the need to cut down trees.

The City currently recycles or composts 39% of the waste collected from residents. Our goal is to reach 50% in the next several years.

You can also help keep our recycling and composting programs running smoothly by doing your part to ensure safe and efficient service!

• Safety is a top priority for our crews. When driving, please give trucks plenty of space to maneuver: Wait behind them until it is safe to pass. Do not attempt to pass blindly or too closely!
• When you’re putting bins out for collection, please help us improve efficiency by only placing containers out for service when they are more than half-way full. Request a smaller garbage can by logging in to your account or calling 801-535-6999.
• Also, please keep bins at least 3 feet away from the curb, cars, other bins, and other large objects to help ensure a smooth pickup!

You can learn even more about SLCgreen’s recycling program here. Be sure to keep an eye out for our latest truck wraps and keep the recycling cycle going!

Other references:

• EPA WasteWise site
• EPA’s Frequently Asked Questions on recycling
• America Recycles Day information from the EPA.