Miami-Dade County, Fla., has approved the purchase of 75 automated garbage trucks outfitted with puraDYN Filter Technologies Inc. systems
to add to its existing fleet of 2,000 puraDYN-equipped pieces of equipment.
Approval was received at the county commissioners’ meeting, following a debate regarding the selection of a new automated garbage truck. After considerable discussion, the consensus was to specify the Caterpillar-powered Peterbilt trucks, which will be factory-equipped with the puraDYN systems.
A Miami-Dade General Services Administration official said the puraDYN systems will save more than $3,500 over the life of each truck, which he estimates at seven years, when taking into consideration the cost of lubricating oil and oil changes.
The Peterbilt trucks with Caterpillar engines will require just one oil change a year, since the puraDYN system continuously cleans the oil and permits safe oil drain interval extensions. The extended oil drain interval reduces the purchase of lubricating oil by approximately 23,000 gallons over the trucks’ seven-year life cycle. The other bidder, without puraDYN, would require oil changes every 60 days, according to the procurement office, which would entail not only the cost of the oil, but the downtime and labor involved with oil changes.