Penn Hills moving to automated trash collection

Automated trash collection is coming to Penn Hills as part of a deal with Republic Services that municipal officials say will cut down on litter and keep garbage trucks on time.

Council unanimously approved the five-year, roughly $26.5 million contract at a special session on Oct. 9. Republic Services holds the current contract, also spanning five years, at a total cost of about $17.8 million. Penn Hills Mayor Pauline Calabrese said the pricier deal will not force a tax increase in the 2024 budget (residents pay for garbage collection as part of their millage rate).

Residents can expect to receive new trash and recycling carts, as the wheeled receptacles are called, in either December or January. The standardized carts will allow workers to empty them using an automated arm.

“It helps make our collection routes more efficient,” Republic Services municipal sales manager Renee Shipley said. “It helps us cut potential injuries. And it makes the town much more attractive on collection day.”

Shipley added that an exact distribution and collection plan is still in the works, but no changes to the collection schedule are planned at this time.

Penn Hills planning director Chris Blackwell worked for years to bring automated collection to the municipality — a crucial upgrade to a mundane service, in his view.

“Not many people get excited about garbage, and collection comes at a high cost, but a lot of work went into the specifications,” Blackwell said. “We believe that transitioning to carts will solve many issues for residents and Republic Services.”

Among those issues: complaints about delayed or missed pickups, according to Calabrese.

“We think this will resolve the backups,” Calabrese said.

A growing number of nearby municipalities have switched to automated collection in recent years, including North Huntingdon, Tarentum and O’Hara.

“It’s time that we come into this century,” Mayor Pauline Calabrese said. “We’ve wanted this for a long time.”