Dive Summary:

• In an effort to streamline waste collection and reduce labor costs, Houston County in Alabama, is considering an automated trash collection system.
• The Houston County Commission must approve the program, which will be run on a trial basis and includes the purchase of an automated sanitation truck and up to 4,000 bins.
• The automated program is set to begin in early 2014, taking over one route during the initial trial, with the entire fleet expected to transition over to mechanical collection by 2015, pending the success of the automated system.

From the article:

Although the County has termed the switch a trial program, it would be difficult to return to manual pickup if the trial program is approved. The County expects to spend more than $450,000 for the truck and bins.

“Every (automated) truck we can put on we can save two laborers. I don’t see why it won’t work...” [Houston County Engineer] Kirkland said.

Commission Chairman Mark Culver said the county should save a significant amount of money in the long term.