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Municipal: Cost Comparisons

Patent # 7,210,890

How do the costs of the Curotto system compare to those of ASLs and rear loaders?

A Direct Comparison on Capital Costs

There is sometimes the perception that automated equipment is significantly more expensive than a comparable manual system.

But how do the costs actually break down?

When purchasing a new system the cost of a fleet of front loader, factory equipped with Curotto Cans including spare is directly comparable to the same number of ASLs with one spare.

When compared to rear loaders the cost of new factory Curotto equipped front loaders is approximately 30% more.

While capital costs are an important consideration, of greater importance are the operating and maintenance costs.

See below.

The Scoop on Operating Costs

While the initial capital costs are higher when compared to rear loaders and similar when compared ASLs, any initial cost advantage is quickly negated by the higher operating costs.

The big advantage of the Curotto system is its high productivity which more than offsets the higher initial costs.

Although there are regional variations, a Curotto Can working an typical residential route averages 1200 homes per day. This is about 40% more homes than a rear loader (at 800 homes per day) and about 25% more homes than an ASL (at 950 homes per day).

The much higher productivity of the Curotto system allows you to earn significantly more income than the other two systems.

Secondly, labor costs for the Curotto system are lower than either of the other two systems. Rear loaders use 2-3 workers per unit while the Curotto uses one. And while the ASL also use one operator because of the higher productivity with Curotto you finish the same route much earlier. Therefore, you save significantly on both labor and fuel costs.

A third factor is cost of contaminants. ASLs and rear loaders often have a high rate of contaminants approximately 25%. The Curotto system allows the driver to reduce contaminants to just 2%. And, after all, it's a lot easier to train 20 drivers versus 350,000 residents. Avoid paying for sorting and contaminant disposal at the landfill - keep the revenue.

When you combine all the factors: initial cost, operating cost, labor cost and cost of contaminants, the Curotto system has a significantly lower cost per processed ton of material when compared either to an ASL or a rear loader. The Curotto system completes the route in less time, uses less fuel and with fewer trucks.

Simply put the Curotto system services more homes in less time at a lower cost than either of the two ot her systems.

Curotto: 1200 homes per day, 2% contamination rate, 1 worker

ASL: 950 homes per day, 25% contamination rate, 1 worker

Rear Loader: 800 homes per day, 25% contamination rate,
2-3 workers

Easy to see, easy to remove contaminants with the Curotto Can.

Add Flexibility for More Cost Savings

While the initial cost of an ASL is about the same as the Curotto, it can only work one type of route, residential. In contrast, units equipped with a Curotto Can can work both residential and commercial routes.

Front loaders can be used for commercial routes at night and then residential routes during the day. The Curotto system adds flexibility to your fleet.

For a large hauler or municipality this kind of fleet flexibility can reduce capital costs significantly.

It’s simple, use a smaller number of multipurpose trucks rather than a higher number of single purpose trucks.

The Curotto Can mounts to the forks of a front loader and it takes about a minute to connect the electrical and hydraulic systems.

Lower Maintenance Costs

Some in the waste industry believe that automated systems are high maintenance and thus require maintenance staff to upgrade their skills. While this is true for computer controlled ASLs, this is not the case with the Curotto system. Because the Curotto system uses no high maintenance electronic components, the same maintenance staff who maintain rear loaders can maintain Curotto Cans. No upgrading of skills is required.

The Curotto Can has evolved from 15 years of on-the-route development. Out of the five main design considerations, four are related to low maintenance costs:

1. High Productivity
2. Ruggedness of Construction
3. Use of Long Life Components
4. Ease of Maintenance
5. Ease of Replacing Wear Parts

When factory maintenance intervals are adhered to maintenance costs for a Curotto Can are significantly lower than comparable ASLs and about the same as rear loaders.

All the lubrication points on the Curotto Can are easily accessible. Operators can complete the daily inspection and maintenance routine in about 5 minutes.

Cost of Spares

Another cost that is significantly lowered by using the Curotto system is the cost for spares. With either ASLs or rear loaders an entire truck must be purchased, licensed and maintained for there to be a spare available.

With the Curotto system you only have to have just one Curotto Can (not an entire truck) ready to meet the requirements of a spare.

The cost of one Curotto Can is a small fraction of the cost of an entire truck. Again, your cost savings can be significant.

WCB Costs

WCB costs are becoming a major consideration for haulers and municipalities.

In general WCB costs are the highest for rear loaders because of the constant heavy lifting and turning. ASLs have significant WCB costs from the constant reaching with the left hand to run the controls while turning the head to the right to check the pickup and cart dump.

But with the Curotto system the cart pickup-dump-return cycle is right in front of the operator. No lifting or turning is necessary.

WCB costs for the Curotto Can is the lowest of the three systems.

Driver looks forward at all times thus avoiding the neck and back strain associated with constantly turning to look backwards.

Safety Benefits

With an ASL the driver has to look back for the cart pickup then forward to drive. Sometimes a car or child can run in front of the ASL while the driver's attention is turned away and they start moving forward without looking first and cause an accident. Also with an ASL the grippers are large and 8' behind the driver. If the driver moves forward without the grippers being fully retracted they could impact cars, mailboxes, etc.

The grippers of the Curotto are small and right in the view of the driver; the likelihood of the grippers accidentally being left extended and hitting a car is virtually zero. With the Curotto you are always looking forward at all times - the driver is fully aware of all the elements they are dealing with at all times.

Safety is significantly improved with the Curotto Can.

View from the streetside operator's station. The complete pickup-dump-return cycle is right in front of the driver.

Additional Benefits

The Curotto system encourages garbage reduction programs by facilitating user pay programs. Residents become much more aware of the volume of garbage when they are allowed to fill only one cart per week and are then charged for any excess. Also, studies have shown that automated pickup for recycling significantly increases the volume of recycled material. User pay systems and automated recycling pickup used together significantly reduce the volume of material going to the landfill.

The Curotto system also facilitates the cleaning up of back alleys. The Curotto Can can dump carts within a very tight spaces. ASLs often have difficulty with back alleys and often require a second specialized unit to follow behind.

When it comes to yard trimmings, the same Curotto equipped truck can be used for both yard trimmings and regular garbage.

Simply put, the Curotto system provides the best service to residents at the lowest price to the public.

A Curotto equipped front loader can work in a narrow backalleys and sidestreets. The Curotto Can can pickup and return a cart within the space between the mirrors.

In comparison, all ASLs have to pickup and return the cart outside the mirrors.

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