News

Bottineau receives it’s new garbage truck

By Scott Wagar

06/03/2014

The city of Bottineau’s new garbage truck has arrived and started to pick up residential garbage on Monday.

The new garbage truck is an automated side loader trash collector, which utilizes a mechanical device, operated by the driver of the truck, to pick-up a garbage can and dump its content into the truck’s garbage container.

With the new truck, came new garbage cans that will need to be used for the truck to properly dispose of residents’ garbage. The new side loader has an industrial steel arm with a gripping device that will extend out from the truck, pick up the garbage can with its grippers, and then lift the can to the disposal site on the top of vehicle.

The cans for the city of Bottineau will consist of either a 48 gallon can or 96 gallon can. The cans will have wheels on them so that residents will be able to pull their cans to the streets for pick-up. The size of container that a resident in town will receive depends upon how much garbage a residents disposes of each week.

The city crew spent last week delivering over 800 garbage cans to residents’ homes. Keith Fulsebakke, city superintendent, stated the garbage cans should be placed in the exact location on the street where the city crews left the cans when they were delivered to local property owners.

“The cans need to be in that exact location or we will not be able to pick-up your garbage,” said Fulsebakke, who added that the front of the can must be facing the street and the lid cover of the can must be closed.

“If you leave the can open, the gripper can damage the lid. So, we asked that you keep the lid closed.”

Property owners should also know that only garbage in the new cans will be picked up. All other containers, bags or boxes will be left behind on the street. The waste material that will go into the can should also be bagged to keep the inside of the container clean.  

Residents, who needed a larger can, or more than one, will have to call the city office (228-3232) to request a container(s).

“We ask that residents try the cans for a while before requesting a new one,” said Penny Nostdahl, auditor of the city of Bottineau. “If they need to switch cans we can do that later.”

The new truck, which is a Peterbilt, cost $180,000 with an additional $80,000 for the cans, at a total cost of $260,000.