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Sometimes the only way to get a job done right is to do it yourself.
That’s what the folks in USC’s landscape and environmental services decided after experiencing chronic problems with an outside garbage collection service on the Columbia campus. The University recently purchased two garbage collection trucks and hired two drivers to service the campus’ 88 dumpster cans.
“We were paying close to $400,000 per year and not getting very good service,” said Tom Knowles, assistant director of landscaping and environmental services. “Dumpsters were overflowing and causing a stench; it was difficult to get them to come back if a dumpster was missed.”
By using its own trucks and crew, Knowles said, USC Columbia likely will break even or better on cost and have much more reliable service. The two trucks cost about $350,000 together, and the campus has purchased a hot-water pressure washer to keep them as clean and odorless as possible.
“A lot of universities have their own garbage collection trucks—you have a lot more control that way,” he said.
USC’s garbage collection drivers work from 3:30 to 11 a.m. five days per week and pick up eight to 12 tons of solid waste per day. The University pays $26 per ton to a Richland County landfill for disposal.
The campus also has three recycling teams that empty central point collection cans every day. Recycled items include plastic, office paper, corrugated cardboard, toner cartridges, rechargeable batteries, and aluminum cans.
“We know we’re not capturing all of the recyclables on campus—we could use 8 or 10 people picking it all up, but there’s no budget for that,” Knowles said.
Landscape and environmental services plans to add more dumpster cans for recyclable materials such as corrugated cardboard and paper. The same trucks will be used for recycling collection.
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Drivers Henry Jones, seated in truck, and Chip Tiller will use two garbage collection trucks to empty campus dumpsters.
