No strangers to innovation, JJ’s Waste & Recycling are known for leading the way when it comes to providing Total Waste Management Solutions across their extensive range of commercial and domestic services – with operations throughout every state and territory in Australia, as well as in New Zealand and USA.
The company, then known as J.J. Richards and Sons Pty Ltd, had humble beginnings in 1932, when Joseph John Richards won his first refuse and sanitary kerbside collection contract in Murwillumbah Shire.
Many innovations have been introduced by the Company in their 90-year history including the very first side loading waste collection vehicle which would lead to the automated SOLO truck, designed to collect standard 240L bins while the driver remained in the vehicle, revolutionising domestic collections in Australia.
The innovations continued when they introduced the first split recycling vehicle in the 1990s, and then in 2003 commenced a joint venture with Veolia for the development of the Ti-Tree Bio-Reactor Landfill. This was the first of its kind in Australia.
Their commitment to providing the latest in waste management technology with reliability, safety and environmental benefits at the forefront, JJ’s Waste partnered in 2016 with Volvo to develop the first dual-control Euro VI side load waste collection vehicle in Australasia.
There are over 200 Euro VI Volvos operating in their fleet today.
The JJ’s Waste fleet of 1,800 vehicles work hard to perform a variety of solid, hazardous and liquid waste collection services for over 110,000 commercial customers and performs 2.5 million domestic garbage, recycling and organics collections services per week under contract for 56 local authorities.
With hard working equipment comes a need for durable and reliable vehicle components.
JJ’s Waste took another giant leap for the waste removal industry when they decided to switch their entire fleet over from steel wheels to aluminium. The Company’s Fleet Team are dedicated to sourcing the best in vehicles and components, which is why they made the decision to specify Alcoa® wheels.
“We wanted a wheel that was a reputable brand with proven quality as wheels are such a critical item, you cannot chance unknown brands or cheap quality,” says Owen Burton | National Fleet Manager for JJ’s Waste and Recycling.
The rewards have been worthwhile, too, according to Owen:
“We found a reduction in vehicle tare mass, as well as better presentation for the vehicles. Most importantly, we found we could rely on Alcoa wheels to do what they were designed to do.”
Aluminium wheels have long been known to have a number of benefits over steel, such as:
Aluminium is much lighter than steel, so it can help reduce fuel costs and increase payload gains by reducing the weight of the truck.
The lighter the truck, the more cargo it can legally carry. The weight of an Alcoa forged aluminium 22.5” x 8.25” hub piloted wheel is 18kg vs an equivalent steel wheel at 40kg. With larger payloads due to the weight savings, trips – and therefore fuel emissions – are reduced.
Aluminium does not rust like steel does so costs less to maintain. Alcoa wheels are more resistant to corrosion that can build up on wheels, and there is no need to spend money refurbishing or repainting tired looking wheels.
Alcoa Dura-Bright® wheels don’t even need to be polished – the proprietary surface treatment allows them to be cleaned with just soap and water, reducing lifetime maintenance costs significantly without losing the Alcoa wheel well-known durability and strength. Other companies who specify Dura-Bright wheels for their fleets are Corbet’s Group and KS Easter, both for different reasons.
Aluminium conducts heat better than steel, so it helps keep brakes cooler and can extend their life.
When a refuse truck stops-and-goes 600 to 800 times a day, often in already high Australian temperatures, the benefit of aluminium giving up heat faster means heat is dissipated away from the brakes – thus keeping them from wearing out.
Heading toward the future with still more innovations, JJ’s Waste & Recycling are continually looking at ways to provide our customers with the latest in waste management technology, with reliability, safety and environmental benefits at the forefront.
Trials are currently underway of their first electric vehicle and later this year they will commence trials of Australia’s first-ever hydrogen fuelled garbage truck.
MORE ON STEEL vs ALUMINIUM WHEELS:
LISTEN TO THE ALCOA WHEELS EXPERTS SHARE THEIR ALMOST 100 YEARS OF WHEEL EXPERIENCE ON ALL THINGS AXLE-ENDS
To hear more from Alcoa Wheels experts on aluminium vs. steel wheels, check out this Behind the Wheels Podcast episode Aluminium Wheels vs. Steel Wheels: An Age-Old Debate.
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