It’s been a little over two years since Syracuse residents began using city-provided trash carts as part of its trash collection transformation. Mayor Ben Walsh said there were two main reasons, to reduce litter and worker injuries.
“We had significant injuries coming out of DPW at a disproportionate rate when looking at other parts of city government,” he said. “That simply wasn't good for our workers, it wasn't good for our operations, and ultimately it wasn't good for our constituents.”
Walsh said for example, sanitation workers represented 41% of shoulder injuries across all departments in 2022 from heaving heavy trash cans into trash trucks. Last year, he said it was just 3% after automated arms on the trucks did the heavy lifting.
“The proof is in the data,” Walsh said. “It's here for all to see, it's undeniable, and it really just goes to show that this this program benefited has benefited the city in many ways, but not more significant than its impact on our workers.”
Walsh said that means less time off the job, better quality of life for workers, consistent trash service, and significant savings for taxpayers in medical and worker’s compensation costs.
