Site wins grant for food waste truck
Organics a growing focus
Wilmington, Del. – Within the Greater Mid Atlantic Area is Wilmington Hauling, which after a long
application process earned a state grant to help purchase a new truck capable of transporting organic
materials. Worth nearly $100,000, the grant also allowed the site to venture into a new line of innovative recycling.
“Here’s the win for our customers,” said Jeff Buchanan, sales manager for WM. “While we’re signing them
to our new food waste service we are reducing what they are spending on garbage collection and we are distinguishing
ourselves from the competition.”
Thanks to the Wilmington team, which included Marketing Manager P.J. Chipman and Senior District Manager Kurt
Pilarski, the site was able to purchase a custom-built frontload truck to service food waste accounts. Becoming operational
in October, the vehicle transports organics to the Peninsula Compost Group where materials are converted into a rich
product that’s great for gardens.
Currently, routes take place four days out of the week. If volumes increase the site may consider expanding its fleet.
As for the truck itself, there are a lot of features that differentiate it from a standard front-loader, most of which can be
found in the back. Since organics are typically wet and dense, compacting the waste isn’t necessary. What is important
is for the rear of the truck to be watertight and equipped with a sweeping device (rather than a blade).
Some other features of the organics truck include:
- Brackets that allow two toters to be lifted at one time
- Front-load forks to lift larger containers
- External lift controls mounted behind the driver door
“Congratulations to P.J., Kurt and everyone at Wilmington,” GMA Vice President Tara Hemmer said. “This is transformation
in action. Our team saw an opportunity and used a state grant to help launch a new service and be responsive to what our customers
want. This is a great step forward for our customers, our business and the environment.”
Photo: Marketing Manager P.J. Chipman, left, wrote the grant application that helped Wilmington Hauling purchase the site’s new
food waste truck. Route Manager Jim McGroerty points out the truck’s external lift controls, which help Drivers Wayne Gilley and
Mike Carucci service their routes more efficiently.