Refuse Collection Vehicle

• The Wheelie Bin has a lip on the front edge opposite the hinge of the lid, which locates on a 'comb' lifting unit attached to the rear of the lorry.
• When the comb is engaged the bin is lifted and pivots on the rear of the lorry, and empties its contents into the rear of lorry.
• The point of waste deposit into the lorry is called a hopper, and within this unit there is a hydraulic ram that pushes the waste into the body of the lorry via a blade through a series of compacting cycles)(see diagram below).
• This compaction allows multiple bins of compressible waste (such as Cardboard and/or Residual Waste) to be emptied and compacted into the lorry to optimise the weight and the logistics associated with onward transportation for processing.
• At the point of unloading/discharge, the rear section of the lorry, including the compacting hopper unit, opens upwards at the rear of the lorry, and a separate hydraulic ram is then used to push the collected waste out of the vehicle.

The body of an RCV can be configured to collect multiple materials, something which has become more common since the early 2000's.

This might include, for example, a split body to facilitate a Twin Stream Collection and/or an additional separate non-compacting section for food waste at the front of the lorry (often known as a 'pod') with its own lifting device on the side of the RCV.

Three examples of the main configuration options are set out below.

The overall size of an RCV can be specified according to the chassis size (and is expressed in terms of weight of the vehicle) and intended bodies that sit on the chassis.

The choice may therefore reflect the configuration of the RCV required, or often is a reflection of the width and access limits on a collection route - for example smaller narrow bodied vehicles for inner-city restricted access or country lanes in more rural areas.