Penrith Garbage

I always love chucking up a video of any 2007 ACCO, but some are especially cool! Rewinding over 17 years to an early visit of mine to Penrith, that would’ve been the first time I got to see and hear a 07 ACCO + Superior Pak Raptor combination in person. There will be something forever epic about these specific green SITA side loaders of the western suburbs, collecting household rubbish and garden waste from the old 240L MGBs (including plenty of Rethmann ones). Such a distinct sound from those truck models as well, with that constant high idle revving during bin lift, then an increase in hydraulic whir from the pendulum cycle as the truck accelerates, until the Cummins engine overtakes and roars audibly above everything else. It was like the final era of old school garbage in Penrith, with a basic weekly waste service and a loud collection vehicle you would hear across the neighbourhood, now only history and a fond memory for an enthusiast. I fantasise a little about how awesome it would’ve been having one of these SITA one armers brand new in Penrith City, in particular while doing garbage-only week. Although it’s still Raptor/ACCO combos getting around the council today, they don’t show off the same nor do they have that real garbage truck noise about them. Not long before the current Penrith contract would start in July 2019, I got over to the region on multiple occasions to catch whatever old rigs I could reach during their rounds. On a successful Tuesday, one machine I caught up with was truck 051, being 1 of the 10 side lifts sent to work by SITA in October 2007 for weekly waste collections. In the end a lot of these trucks looked like absolute shit (to put it lightly), but they were still somehow getting the job done. 051 as shown appeared to be one of the better condition members of the Penrith fleet and still sounded exactly like a 07 ACCO should. To top it off, an experienced operator was behind the wheel, moving between bins smoothly, picking them up and putting them down in a routined and neat manner – a rare sight today! I initially followed this bloke during sunrise and came back around again later in the morning to catch him polishing off the remainder of his fortnightly residuals run in South Penrith. I was very glad to capture this action and I hope it proves to be an enjoyable watch! On a side note, virtually all the original signage remains intact, except for the SUEZ logos on the cab doors, the later SITA logo outline on the tailgate and the wording in the large red arrow which reads “Managing residual garbage for a sustainable Penrith” compared to “Working for a sustainable Penrith” as it was firstly.