JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — Waste management is another industry being impacted by ongoing labor shortages, but one local garbage disposal company is addressing the issue with a new investment that they just started hitting the streets of a Township in Cambria County with.
This comes amid a labor shortage crisis and both Pro Disposals owner and neighbors I spoke to in Richland believe with could help resolve the issue.
“It is tough, its very, it’s a very hard job and you know this’ll just help everything. You know, help our people” says Michael Bellvia, the President and CEO of Pro Disposal Inc.
“Yeah, Richland Township was kind of our test area.” says Bellvia, “You know, this was just something that we’ve always looked at and you know, going forward we feel that it’s the best was to pick up for Richland Township”.
Last week, the company assembled and distributed 3,000 special garbage bins around Richland.
This week the company began picking up the cans with their new trucks that are equipped with a robotic arm that's controlled inside the cab of the truck.
Bellvia says Richland Township made for a great testing area because there’re wide streets, newer roads, but also “mostly, you know, labor shortages this will help with and you know, hopefully expand in other markets for us and repurpose those you know, people who show up to work every single day that we value in our company”.
The new Pro Disposal trucks only require one driver, and Bellvia says now his employees will have the opportunity to get a commercial drivers license and “you know we want the best for our people and to take that manual labor out, you know, helps them as well”.
Bellvia says the trucks are what you’d call an A.S.L, automated side load.
The truck will “pick the can up and you know it dumps it into the body and you know, sets it back down. Its nice, its neat, looks professional” says Bellvia.
As for what the Richland community thinks of the new disposal company, Bellvia says “its change right, so you’re gonna have some resistance, but mostly positive feedback. People in richland township are phenominal and they’ve really been great in welcoming this new idea”.
Bob Unger was born and raised in Johnstown and currently lives in Richland. He says pro disposal is a great idea!
“This was the first week that they’ve done it on our block here. What I like about them is the color, there very visible in the early morning hours when you’re on the road. The second thing I like is there much bigger than a normal garbage cans, probably one and half times the size of it. And third, the wheels are so much bigger that it makes it easy to move” says Bob Unger.
Bellvia mentioned he has already invested about half a million dollars in the new trucks and hopes to eventually use the new trucks not just in Richland, but in other parts of the area too.
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