The image of a garbage man hanging off the back of a truck soon might become obsolete in Carrboro.
Monday marked the first day that the town used its new fully automated garbage trucks. The town of Carrboro approved the plan to adopt this new system last December.
Christopher Clark, the town's solid waste supervisor, said the town had been looking at the system for a while but gave more attention to the issue this last year.
After weighing the perks and disadvantages, the Public Works Department decided to go ahead with the plans. The town allocated $158,000 from its budget to purchase the vehicle from Carolina Environmental Systems of Kernersville.
During the next four weeks, public works gradually will introduce the new trash collection system to residential areas.
Controlled by the operator from within the truck, the vehicle's lifting mechanism picks up and empties trash containers then returns them to the curbside.
George Seiz, director of public works, said this new system offers advantages such as a reduction in operating costs because the trucks only need one worker each.
The trucks also increase safety for workers because they do not have to lift heavy objects and reduce litter because everything must be contained in a 95-gallon cart instead of traditional trash bags.
Although the new system will decrease the number of trash collectors needed, Seiz said he believed the department could use these workers in other needed areas.
