Culver City’s changeover to plastic containers has reduced frequency of wear, tear and replacement, resulting in less workers compensation claims as well as more durability and service years.
The City of Culver City in California is an exclusive franchise that collects all of its waste, recycling, organics, C&D, bulky items and pedestrian containers in-house with more than 60 staff. Operating a 500-ton per day transfer station, the City of Culver serves 40,000 residents and approximately 2,000 commercial entities.
With more than 10,000 dumpsters in service across the city, Culver City had over 100 containers that had to be repaired monthly and a minimum of 500 containers that needed to be replaced annually, resulting in a number of containers being out of service and having an impact on operational efficiency. This was due to not only wear and tear, but also being located approximately five miles from the Pacific Ocean, which means that metal containers tended to rust out due to the salt air.
Addressing Container Wear and Tear
In 2012, while Kim Braun was the Resource Recovery and Recycling Manager for the City of Santa Monica, CA, and now the Environmental Programs and Operations Manager for Culver City, CA, she purchased Hedstrom Environmental front load plastic containers, which she had discovered at the Exhibit Hall during a WASTECON in Long Beach, CA. “This was the first time I saw a single mold plastic container with both side and bottom channels. It was so lightweight I could push it easily myself, which I did,” says Braun. “I knew then we had to try them out.”
Photos courtesy of Hedstrom Environmental.
Hedstrom Environmental (Ashland, OH) is a leader in the plastic dumpster market and continues to make a superior dumpster. From the patented turtle shell bottom to the thickest sidewalls in the industry, Hedstrom Environmental’s plastic dumpsters are created to last in any environment. All of Hedstrom Environmental’s products are 7P Phthalate compliant and 100 percent made in the U.S. Over the past seven years, Hedstrom Environmental has spent a great deal of time researching the industry, developing strategic partnerships and, ultimately, redesigning the product, to ensure they are providing products and services that will solve many of the issues faced in the industry. They have integrated cutting edge technology into their manufacturing processes and have recently implemented a one-of-a-kind rotational molding machine that shortens leadtimes by 60 percent. Hedstrom Environmental works continually to reimage the waste collection industry and redefine how we look at waste, how it is collected and how it is disposed of.
Less Stress on Employees and Equipment
Due to the single mold container, sleeves are not screwed in; the Hedstrom Environmental dumpsters can withstand daily lifts and are still out in the field almost 10 years after initial purchase. The light weightiness results in less stress on employees’ bodies while pushing and pulling containers from enclosures to the street and back. Culver City’s changeover from the metal containers was an ongoing process. Once the previous ones were pulled out of service, the plastic containers were installed.
As a result of the switchover, the plastic dumpsters are much lighter in weight than metal dumpsters, allowing for less physical stress for the employees and they last a lot longer since they do not have rust issues. “There are now very few containers that need to be taken out of service. If containers are taken out of service, it’s to change a lid or replace a wheel,” says Braun.
Hedstrom Environmental prides themselves on their product. The Sales and Customer Service team ensures they partner with their customers from the order process through the life of the product. “We appreciate our partnership with the City of Culver City. They have helped us become aware of the needs of the municipalities by decreasing their cost of ownership with the longevity of our plastic commercial dumpsters, decreasing workers comp claims because of the maneuverability of our dumpsters. Finally, we were able to improve the aesthetics of the city with a nice clean look versus the old rusted steel dumpsters,” says Hedstrom CEO, Dave Faulkner.
Says Braun, “All of the representatives that work for Hedstrom are very helpful and knowledgeable of their products. Most of those containers are still being used in the field. This was one of the best purchases so far as lessening workers compensation claims, and increasing durability and service years.” | WA
For more information, contact Kirsten Kahl, Hedstrom Environmental’s Regional Sales Manager at (419) 359-4670, e-mail [email protected] or visit https://hedstromenvironmental.com.