Public Works Commissioner Mark Yehlen presented two options to the Public Works and Services Committee on Tuesday, one with partial automation and the other with full automation. After more than an hour of total discussion, the committee unanimously voted in favor of the semi-automated system option.

“Money is very important in our community, but the safety of our employees has to be tantamount as well,” District 12 Alderman Henry Perez said in voting for the option.

The semi-automation still requires workers to exit their vehicles to collect the cart, but “tippers” on the rear of the trucks will dump the garbage in mechanically. The fully automated system would have eliminated the need for workers to exit the vehicle at all and had them use a joystick arm to collect waste.