$30K litter vacuum introduced to help clean up Windsor's downtown core

A $30,000 vacuum cleaner that will suck up trash is part of the city's ongoing effort to revitalize the downtown core. 

The Glutton Collect waste vacuum cleaner is an all-electric, self-propelled street cleaner that hoovers up everything from cigarette packets, cans and bottles to dog waste, dead leaves, and garbage trapped in grates, according to the manufacturer's website. 

The city unveiled the machine Monday, and city workers have named the unit Rosie the robot, in honour of the Rose City. 

Asked what a $30,000 piece of equipment can do for a part of the city struggling with serious social problems, Ward 3 Coun. Renaldo Agostino replied, "I think when you see a clean downtown, that makes a difference."

"I can't solve addiction," he added, calling it a symbol of the city's commitment to a "cleaner, greener and more vibrant downtown."

"This is something that's in our control."

Rosie's arrival follows the launch of a pilot project in December to provide downtown Windsor businesses with free locking trash bins as part of its Strengthen the Core downtown Windsor revitalization plan. 

"Residents and visitors noticed the difference fast," Agostino said.

"They felt safer. They reflected the kind of downtown that we all want to see. … [Glutton Collect] builds on that momentum."

The unit makes it easier to clean alleys, bike lanes and sidewalks, Agostino said.

It's small enough to fit through an ordinary door, and it's a zero-emission unit, meaning it could also potentially be used indoors in facilities such as arenas, said Jim Leether, the City of Windsor's manager of environmental services.

Rosie isn't a replacement for larger street sweepers, Leether said. Rather, it's meant to augment what they do.

"Hopefully that allows the residents of Windsor to feel that … they see their tax dollars at work and that we're strengthening the core," Leether said.

The chair of the downtown Windsor BIA said the new cleaner shows a commitment to making downtown Windsor a better place to live, work and do business. 

"If we want to see long-term success in our downtown, we need more people living here," Chris McLeod said.

"How do you grow the local economy? That's how you grow the local economy. It's how we support the coffee shops, the restaurants, boutiques and services that make our core vibrant and unique. And it's how we'll start to fill some of those vacant storefronts we've been all eager to see come back to life." 

The Glutton Collect will be piloted in downtown Windsor for around a year, Leether told reporters.

After that, it and other pieces of equipment may roll out to other business improvement areas across the city.