BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Broken Arrow’s solid waste department is making changes to keep workers hydrated and reduce customer confusion around holiday trash pickup.
The City of Broken Arrow has outfitted its trash truck workers with CamelBak hydration packs to help them stay hydrated during hot weather on the job.
“It has been an awesomely hot summer. We’ve had a lot of exposure with the heat, so what we did was we ordered some camelbacks. These are water containers that are held in a backpack and so the staff can actually have water on them while they’re out working,” Solid Waste and Recycling Director Jerry Schuber said.
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The packs hold about 2 liters of water, Gatorade, Powerade, or similar drinks. Trash worker Jordan Miller demonstrated how the design keeps things sanitary.
“This comes over, over the side and it just kind of hangs here. You can drink it that way. It can keep you hydrated when you’re on the back of the truck,” Miller said.
Schuber said the city ordered 40 of the packs at about $15 apiece, with extras kept on hand as spares. The department also extends breaks during hot weather as an additional measure.
“We extend breaks and we do things like that as well to try to help with heat when you’re just trying to offset it,” Schuber said.
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The city is also changing how it handles trash pickup around holidays. In the past, most holidays shifted the entire week’s pickup schedule by one day, which created confusion and a surge in customer calls.
“Phones go through the roof the Friday before a holiday,” Schuber said.
“We see a 90% increase in calls on the Tuesday after a shift because people are like, Oh, I forgot. I need you to come back. So it just becomes an inconvenience for the customers and so we’re trying above all things to make sure that our customers are taken care of,” Schuber said.
Under the new policy, Broken Arrow will collect trash on its regular schedule regardless of the holiday — with only three exceptions.
“Christmas, New Year’s, and Thanksgiving,” Schuber said.
That means customers whose regular pickup day falls on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, should put their cans out as usual.
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