LAKE COUNTY – Some new garbage trucks making their way around the county have been causing some confusion for local residents, according to a report from Lake County's Waste Management division.

Lake County’s residential curbside customers have been used to seeing three separate trucks collect garbage, recyclables and greenwaste. Just recently, some customers began calling to report that their garbage and recyclables are being dumped into the same garbage truck.

Jackie Armstrong of Waste Management explained that, what they can’t see, is that there’s a blade inside these new split-body trucks that the driver moves from one side to the other to keep the recycling separate from the garbage.

The garbage companies began looking at split-body trucks a couple of years ago when the state set new low emission standards requiring modification or replacement of older trucks in their fleets, Armstrong said. Last fall, spiraling fuel costs made the split-body trucks even more practical.

Another advantage of the split-body trucks is that there is one less truck on each route each week which reduces wear and tear on roadways, Armstrong reported.

The split-body trucks are in use on most, but not all, routes and the types of materials collected may vary from one route to the next, she added.

If you have questions about these new trucks of other waste management programs, please call the Recycling Hotline at 263-1980 or visit the county’s waste management Web site at www.recycling.co.lake.ca.us.

{mos_sb_discuss:2}