Little Rock set to add 29 new garbage trucks for more than $9 million

Little Rock officials plan to add over two dozen new trucks to the city’s solid waste fleet while phasing out older, high-mileage vehicles with maintenance issues.

The Little Rock Board of Directors has authorized the purchase of 29 vehicles for a total of more than $9 million. In addition to residential garbage pickup, solid waste crews handle the collection of bulky items and yard waste.

Eighteen of the new vehicles will be side-loader garbage trucks, which use a mechanical arm to grab curbside trash carts and dump their contents into the truck.

At its Tuesday meeting last week, the Little Rock board approved a measure ratifying the approximately $6.2 million purchase, which had been executed four days earlier, according to board documents. By agreeing to trade in four of the city’s older vehicles, officials received an $800,000 credit that offset some of the cost.

The vendor is Arkansas Municipal Equipment Inc.

Additionally, officials approved the purchase of six rear-loader garbage trucks and five new knuckle boom grapple trucks from River City Hydraulics Inc. for a total of about $3 million.

Knuckle boom grapple trucks have a mounted crane with a maneuverable claw that can grab waste.

Members of the Little Rock Board of Directors had added the items to the board’s consent agenda, which was approved unanimously with one member absent.

Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said during the meeting that the purchases represented a “huge feat,” and credited the existence of the city’s waste disposal fund for allowing officials to get it done.

Most revenue in the waste disposal fund comes from garbage collection fees and city landfill fees. In 2026, the fund is expected to receive approximately $27.4 million in revenue, according to the city’s annual operating budget.

In December, the board agreed to enact a five-year schedule of rate increases for solid waste services. Little Rock residents’ monthly residential garbage collection fee, as well as tipping fees at the landfill, are scheduled to increase annually through 2030.

The monthly residential fee, which was $29.68 in 2025, will rise to $48.07 by 2030.

Maneesh Krishnan, the director of the city’s Public Works Department, which oversees solid waste services, said at the time that the age of the fleet contributed to more missed garbage pickups.

A consulting firm working with the city reported last year that the average vehicle in the solid waste fleet was 6.3 years old — around the age that a truck ordinarily would be replaced.

As of last year, the solid waste fleet included 31 side loaders and 25 rear loaders.

Unlike residential garbage collection, recycling in Little Rock is collected by the company Waste Management through a regional contract.

In 2024, a shortage of available solid waste trucks led city officials to prioritize collecting garbage over yard waste, leading to delayed yard waste pickups in some neighborhoods.