Residents of Bonney Lake will see a change to their garbage service in the month of November.

DM Disposal will begin using automated garbage collection instead of manual labor, using a mechanical arm to lift up garbage bins and to deposit trash in the truck.

Mark Gingrich, a district manager of DM Disposal, said the mechanical arm will make trash collecting more efficient and cleaner than using manual labor.

“As for routes going faster, it will take the same amount of time,” Gingrich said. “But the routes have two workers on them, and now we only need the driver.”

Even though routes will have one less worker on them, no employees are being laid off, Gingrich said. Instead, “they will be absorbed into other work areas.”

With this change in service, DM Disposal is requiring Bonney Lake residents to upgrade their garbage bins, free of charge.

“With the wind we get in Pierce County, garbage cans would get blown over or the tops would get blown off,” Gingrich explained. “The new bins are heavier, and the lids are attached” to prevent garbage from spilling.

To facilitate the upgrade, DM disposal will mail Bonney Lake residents a “recycle me” sticker to put on their old garbage bin. New garbage bins will be delivered between Oct. 30 through Nov. 5.

Bonney Lake residents can choose from several different sizes of garbage bins to upgrade to, from a ten gallon bin to a 96 gallon bin.

Gingrich said that monthly garbage collection rates will remain the same as before.

DM Disposal will be collecting old bins with the recycle sticker on them on Nov. 6.

Residents must upgrade their bin by Nov. 6 to continue receiving services from DM Disposal.