Town May Purchase One-Arm Bandit to Reduce Sanitation Costs

The Greenburgh Town Board is 
considering the possibility of purchasing a ONE ARMED BANDIT -- a new, more 
efficient garbage truck that uses one employee instead of three to pick up 
garbage. As employees in the sanitation department retire the workforce would 
shrink.

Communities that have purchased the truck report faster service and fewer 
workers compensation claims by injured public works employees. The City of White 
Plains has been using these vehicles. The Town of Harrison is also interested in 
the truck.

The “One-Armed Bandit” is an automated refuse collection truck 
that has the capacity of auto-loading refuse containers three to four times the 
size of a regular garbage can.

It also is capable of making 700 to 1,200 stops 
per route with a single operator, “all while increasing efficiency for the 
residents and safety for the operators,” said a report on the system. When we 
purchase the truck the town will provide residents with a free, special large 
container that can be secured by the remote arm on the garbage truck.

On 
collection days, residents will place the container in the street and with a 
space of four feet between the container and parked vehicles, mailbox, trees or 
other obstacles. The trash truck driver can then safely pick-up and place back 
the container in the same location.

The automated trash collection program has 
proven to work well in all types of weather including snow and rain and 
containers can withstand winds of up to 45 miles per hours. 

The program is 
expected to be less costly than the current system where employees manually 
place the refuse in the rear loading packer trucks. Funding for the first one 
arm bandit will be included in the proposed 2013 capital budget, which will be 
released at the end of October.

If the Town Board approves the request, the 
truck could be operating in the town towards the end of 2013 or early in 2014.

We will test the truck on some streets initially - and if we like the truck will 
purchase additional trucks in future years.

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Three 
time Grammy-award winning bassist John Patitucci leads an stellar band on 
October 13th, 2012 at 4:00 pm in a jazz concert to benefit THE YONKERS SHARING 
COMMUNITY and HASTINGS HELPS THE HUNGRY, two local organizations which provide 
meals to the homeless.

Other musicians include pianist Gerald Clayton, 
saxophonist John Ellis, drummer Paolo Orlandi, percussionist Rogerio Boccato and 
gospel vocalist Ruth Naomi Floyd.

There will also be a silent auction and Meet 
the Musicians reception. All proceeds benefit the two charities.

Tickets 
are $20 and available at the door or in advance at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/268927

 - Paul Feiner, Greenburgh Town Supervisor