Hoboken has had overnight garbage collection for more than 50 years. Some of our neighbors, including Jersey City, also have overnight garbage collection for similar reasons. The primary reason for overnight collection is that having 6 to 8 garbage trucks out during daytime hours would lead to very significant traffic jams city-wide as vehicles would be unable to pass garbage trucks on Hoboken’s narrow streets. As a result, garbage collection is restricted to the hours of 11:30pm to 5:30am, when traffic volumes are lowest. In addition, because of high vehicular and pedestrian traffic, daytime garbage pickup would take considerably longer than overnight pickup, resulting in trash being out on our streets for longer and increasing the problem of animals rummaging through the garbage.
Reverse signal alarms (i.e., "back up beeps") are required by federal and state law, particularly OSHA regulations 29 CFR Part 1926.601(b)(4) which require "a reverse signal alarm audible above surrounding noise level." These alarms seek to ensure public safety surrounding waste collection and other commercial vehicles when in reverse, and by law cannot be removed.
