I’ve noticed that most of Orange County’s garbage is hauled away by automated garbage trucks – so called “one-armed bandits”. I am lucky enough to live in an area serviced by these technical wonders.

The truck holds just one garbage man, and he never has to leave the driver’s seat. He just pulls a lever and an arm comes down to pick up your trash can, dump its contents in the hopper, and then drop your can back down on the curb before moving on to the next house.

Here’s an article about these magic trucks taking to the streets of Raleigh, NC.

Unlike Raleigh, however, trash truck drivers in the OC will just skip your house if your cans are blocked by a car or facing the wrong direction. At least on my street anyway.

It’s really hard to find pictures of automatic garbage trucks on the Internet!

EDIT: Pictures found! The Heil RapidRail picks up my garbage every Friday and it’s a sight to behold.