Atlas Obscura: Garbage trucks have evolved from glorified dump trucks to sophisticated engines of trash transport.
Garbage has always needed a way to get from someone’s property to its final destination—and the iconic garbage trucks have been evolving right with human technology.
In the 1800s, the preferred method was horse-drawn carts, whose contents also carried human waste in the pre-sewer “night soil” days. But by the 20th century – more
Cincinnati spent $350,000 on a super duper garbage truck in 2013.
There were only 3 problems with it: The city has no way of fueling it (CNG), it’s too big for most of city streets and the city doesn’t have the infrastructure in place to utilize the truck’s automated features.
They tried to sell it to Lexington KY in 2014 for a loss of over $100,000 but one of the warranties wouldn’t transfer so the deal fell through. As far as I can tell, it’s still sitting.
THAT’s the problem with being able to spend someone else’s money.
Hell, I’m happy when my garbage collector shuts the lid on my rolling dumpster on rainy days and returns it in close proximity to my property line.
Heh. I house-sat at a private island for about a year in the late 80s, where I came across my first all-electric garbage truck. Didn’t know there ever was such.
That was a fascinating article-have to say I probably wouldn’t have come across it anywhere else, thanks MJA-I liked the site too and have bookmarked it for further look sees.
Around here (Milwaukee) the garbage trucks double as snow plows when we get a ‘dumper’ of 4 inches or more.
City garbage trucks stink a lot worse than the rural garbage trucks. City people throw out a lot more food and other organic matter. Country people will use that same stuff to feed the pigs or throw into the compost pile to use later for fertilizer on their gardens.
Working underneath one of those trucks is a mechanic’s nightmare.