What is a Garbage Truck & How do they work?

What is a Garbage Truck?

A garbage truck is a vehicle that has been specifically designed to collect municipal solid waste. The collected waste then needs to be transported to a solid waste treatment facility. Garbage trucks feature compacting mechanisms and hydraulic cylinders that compress garbage to fit more into the truck.

History of Garbage Trucks

Garbage trucks were first introduced in 1929 in the form of the Heil Collector. This innovative design featured a bucket hopper on the side of the truck which would essentially lift trash and then dump it into the rear of the vehicle. This would happen through an opening at the top.

In 1938, the Garwood Load Packer completely revolutionized the waste management industry when adding a compactor to the design made the process considerably more effective. The first compactor was almost double the truck’s capacity and worked with a hydraulic press.

The 1970s saw the introduction of the first grapple trucks that were used for municipal waste collection. The world’s first automated side loader was introduced in Scottsdale Arizona. This impressive new truck could easily collect 300-gallon containers in about 30-second cycles. An impressive feature was that this could be done without the driver exiting the vehicle.

How Does a Garbage Truck Work?

You’ve no doubt seen a garbage truck in action. In fact, you may have seen garbage going in and being compacted. But what’s the science behind the whole process? Here are a few simplified steps to highlight how the process works.

Step 1: Garbage trucks are driven down local city streets where rubbish is collected on pre-determined days.
Step 2: Trash is picked up by garbage collectors and placed into the hopper of the truck.
Step 3: The compacting mechanism removes the rubbish from the hopper and deposits it into the truck’s body.
Step 4: Hydraulic cylinders control the junk inside the truck and prevent it from falling out of the sides.
Step 5: The compacting device is situated on the exterior of the truck which allows for more space inside the truck.
Step 6: When the garbage truck is full, the driver transports the rubbish to the local dump or waste management facility.
Step 7: Hydraulic cylinders move the compacting panels out of the way as the vehicle tilts up.
Step 8: The rubbish is tossed out of the vehicle and the inside of the truck is hosed out for the next trip.

Different Types of Garbage Trucks

With the innovations in garbage removal, it’s not surprising that there are different types of garbage trucks to choose from. Essentially, the type of garbage that needs to be removed will determine the type of truck you should consider hiring. There are four main categories of garbage trucks to choose from. These are discussed below.

1) Front Loader Garbage Trucks

For the most part, front loaders are garbage trucks that feature automatic forks in the front of the cab. These trucks are primarily used to empty commercial waste bins such as the huge dumpsters you see outside restaurants. With these vehicles, the dumpster is lifted up and emptied into the truck box.

Some of the benefits of front-loader garbage loaders include the following:

Many models can lift about 8000 pounds of waste.
Ideal for dumpster-based waste systems.
Hydraulic arms can easily lift commercial trash containers.

2) Side Loader Garbage Trucks

With side-loader garbage trucks, the rubbish is collected on the side of the truck. These trucks can be operated manually or automatically and are usually used for residential waste collection and disposal.

In most instances, these trucks are driven by a single person who also controls the side-loading process from the driver’s cab. Manual versions may require a driver’s assistant who will control the lifting mechanism.

The top benefits of using a side loader garbage truck are listed below:

Ideal for residential areas
Newer models make use of an electronically controlled hydraulic arm, making them more efficient.
In most cases, this garbage truck type only requires one operator which provides a reduced manpower cost.