New automated trash collection system aims to prevent worker injuries
Distribution of new, uniform trash bins is now underway for residents in the City of Ypsilanti. The change comes as the city’s garbage collection service, contracted by Stevens Disposal, moves to an automated side loader.
New bins for residents
Each household will receive a single standardized covered 96-gallon bin, replacing previous rules that allowed households to use up to three resident-supplied 33-gallon bins, said Jeremiah Brown, communications assistant for the City of Ypsilanti.
The change only applies to city of Ypsilanti residents, not township residents, he added.
All city residents must begin using only the new 96-gallon bins by Sept. 29, 2025. Trash placed in other bins or outside the bin will not be collected. Items placed on top of the bin will result in the entire bin and the item being skipped. The city has been promoting the news bins with a Facebook post.
Switching to these larger single bins and the automated side loader keeps up with technology updates and standards across other municipalities, Brown said. The covered bins will also help address litter and vermin, he added.
The change will not affect recycling or yard waste pickup; however, residents currently receiving trash and recycling pickup on Fridays will receive pickup on Thursdays instead beginning Sept. 29, 2025, Brown said.
Worker safety
The new automated side loader system works “kind of like a claw machine,” said Bonnie Wessler, director of public works for the City of Ypsilanti. The automated arm on the truck reaches out to pick up the bin and tip it into the truck, she explained.
Currently, trash is collected using a rear loader, requiring sanitation workers to hang off the back of the refuse truck and manually tip the bins into the truck through traffic and all weather conditions, Wessler said.
Wessler stated that the switch to an automated loader will help prevent worker injuries.
Two years ago, a sanitation worker at Stevens Disposal was struck by a motorist, said Kevin Shipman, municipal and customer relations manager for Stevens Disposal. The automated loader will help prevent incidents like that, he said. He added that 90% of Stevens Disposal’s operations are now automated.
“It’s much safer for the drivers because they’re not getting out of the truck,” Shipman said.
In 2023, refuse and recyclable material collection was the fourth deadliest civilian occupation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 74% of refuse truck-related deaths were related to transportation incidents, including struck-by incidents and collisions involving other vehicles, said a 2024 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Locally, the City of Ann Arbor has used automated trucks for trash collection servicing single- and two-family households since 2004, Alison Heatley, solid waste manager for the City of Ann Arbor, said in an email. Ann Arbor residents have used a city-issued bin for trash collection since the switch to automated trucks, according to Heatley in an email.
Residents react to new bins
Some city residents have already received their new bins. The new bins are bigger and a little heavier, said Celeste McClellan, an Ypsilanti resident who has lived in the city for more than 30 years. Previously, McClellan was using a smaller Rubbermaid bin from Ace Hardware.
The new bins roll with ease, reported KJ Miller, a city resident of 25 years. However, Miller said she was concerned about the pickup of large household items following the change to standardized bins.
Previously, residents were allowed to leave one additional item by the curb for pickup, Miller said. Starting Sept. 29, 2025, bulk items will be picked up on Fridays for all households, and pickup must be scheduled in advance by calling 734-279-2611 or emailing bulk@stevensdisposal.com, according to a public notice issued by the City of Ypsilanti.
Move to automation
Both McClellan and Miller also mentioned concerns about the move to automated services and its impact on jobs and workers.
The switch to the automated side loader will not result in any job loss, Shipman said. Currently, Ypsilanti’s two trash collection routes require two workers each, a driver and a “helper," the person who manually loads the bins into the truck. Although the new automated system will require only one driver per route, it is not expected to result in any job loss. The “helper” position is the most difficult position to hire for because it is the most labor intensive, said Shipman. The update to an automated system will not eliminate jobs but rather allow the company to train and promote more employees to become drivers, he said.
“It’s definitely not eliminating any jobs; it’s just allowing us to train people with an actual [U.S. Department of Transportation Commercial Driver’s License] skillset and operate a truck that takes a lot more skill than just driving down the road,” he said.
“We’ve never laid anybody off ever in the history of our company,” Shipman added. “We’ve been very fortunate to grow and not have attrition.”
Cost and additional bins
Each household will receive a new bin, paid for by city property taxes and provided by Stevens Disposal, a waste disposal company based in Petersburg, Michigan. The City of Ypsilanti has contracted services from Stevens Disposal since 2019.
Currently, the city pays Stevens Disposal $9.50 per household per month for residential curbside trash pickup, funded by city taxes, Wessler said in an email. 5,337 households receive curbside trash pickup service, according to information provided by Wessler. Multifamily and commercial properties are excluded from that, usually contracting their own haulers for pickup and paying for it themselves, she added.
Stevens Disposal provides trash collection services for at least 15 municipalities in Michigan, Shipman said.
Distribution of the new bins began the week of Sept. 8, 2025, and is expected to conclude by Sept. 19, 2025. If households require additional trash bins, residents can request to contract more directly from Stevens Disposal.
For questions or concerns about the change or to report an extra or missing bin, residents should contact the city of Ypsilanti Department of Public Works at 734-483-1421 or DPW@cityofypsilanti.com. Residents can check their delivery address for the new trash carts at cityofypsilanti.com. For more information about trash disposal guidelines, residents can visit the city’s trash service webpage.
