This is not a very exciting or sexy Lismore news story, nor is it groundbreaking; however, it does affect every household in the Lismore LGA.

The first of a fleet of eight new state-of-the-art garbage trucks arrived in Lismore and will hit the streets of Lismore on Monday.

The benefits to local residents are delivered through efficiencies because the brand new Volvo garbage trucks are fitted with IVMS (In-Vehicle Management System), which allows digital data to be collected and analysed so that the quickest waste bin route can be mapped and followed through GPS.

Kendall Brazendale, Council's Waste Team Collection Leader and Matt Potter, Acting Chief Operating and Financial Officer, said other benefits include safety, missed bin collection and bin maintenance, meaning council will know before you do about particular bin pick-up problems.

"We have buttons here for missed bins. We've got cameras on board here so we can monitor our collection runs. The efficiencies we can gain by the onboard tech of these trucks is amazing. We haven't had that in the past. So we can make sure that we're picking up the service that the customer has paid for. At the moment, without that tech, we're picking up bins and assuming that the bins are all out there for a reason, but we can actually monitor everything that's being done by these trucks," Mr Potter explained.

"We're running off paper-based maps at the moment, so it's going to be a massive difference moving into the future of the digital world," Kendall added.

The new Volvo garbage trucks are manufactured in Sweden and then imported into Australia to add the high-tech components, which include making the truck twin steer (right and left-hand drive), the IVMS, and increased safety features in case of an internal fire caused by lithium batteries.

There is a hose fitted at the rear corner of the truck that is a full fire suppression system. It has the ability to plug into a garden hose or a fire hydrant and completely flushes the internal body with water. It also runs a unique Booker paddle compaction system that has no pinch points, which is the main cause of battery fires.

As well as that, the new pick-up arms are longer and can pick up bins that are touching, if they are placed that way by residents, especially in unit complexes.

There is also a local connection to the new garbage trucks. Southside Trucks in South Lismore is the local Volvo dealer. The added technology allows them to download any sensor issues the trucks have, which include ABS and EBS braking, and autonomous braking to make sure they are running optimally.

Apart from the more efficient garbage bin pick-up routes, Lismore City Council benefits through a more fuel-efficient vehicle that has the latest emissions engines, so they will have a lower fuel bill and reduce their carbon footprint.

Mick Potter also said the eight new trucks will allow council to fill their waste team structure.

"By the teams working together with the union to save these jobs for local people, we've been able to fill our structure. So, for the first time in, I'm not sure how many years since the argument started, whether this was going to stay in-house or go external, we've now been able to fill our structure of drivers. We've got a waste manager, team leader and a full complement of drivers, so eight trucks and 13 permanent employees.

If we go back in time a couple of years, Lismore City Council was thinking of outsourcing the garbage collection because its ageing fleet of trucks was spending more time in the workshop than it was on the road, and because of its dire financial position, it could not afford to renew eight garbage trucks. That is where the state government stepped in, to the tune of $5 million.

Mayor Steve Krieg, Member for Lismore, Janelle Saffin, Minister for Local Government and the United Services Union (USU) sat down to work out a deal that suited all parties. It wasn't an easy negotiation, "Council actually butted heads a little bit at the outset," was how Mayor Krieg described the beginning of the talks.

"See how we've all come together to work together to get the best outcome, not only for Lismore City Council, our employees who have to drive these trucks, I mean, to see the conditions that they've had to be putting up with over the last three and a half years post the flood. We've got a fleet of seven or eight trucks. Three or four of them are in a workshop constantly. We're hiring trucks off other contractors.

"It's just been such a challenge. And thanks to the two ministers who are here, Lismore City Council is well on the way to many, many good things in the waste area. And so, on behalf of Lismore City Council, from me, it's just a simple thank you. Thank you to the unions. Thank you to Bucher. Thank you to the Robinson family. Thanks to our staff, who do a great job."

The mayor's sentiment was reinforced by Member for Lismore, Janelle Saffin. "What we're seeing today is the power of everybody working together. There's an old saying, working together, we really can make a difference, and that's what happened here. Steve mentioned that there was a bit of butting heads early on, and there certainly was because we're very passionate about what we need here, and we're very passionate about maintaining council employees.

Ms Saffin said they sorted out a deal with Mayor Krieg and the USU at a pub in Grafton.

"I said to my colleagues in the union and to Ron, look, we've got a problem here. We just need to sort this out. We can find a way through. Of course, it needed a bit more money, and that's what I thank Minister Hoenig for, because it's not easy to get money out of Treasury, but we needed that extra, and it means we've got this super duper fleet of trucks, and we've got in-house (collection), we've got local procurement with the Robinsons, and that's what we love."

Minister Hoenig added, "Local Government works at its very best when it employs local people, injects into its local area and provides local career opportunities for its citizens."

The USU praised the mayor, Minister Hoenig and Ms Saffin, but took a swipe at previous terms of Lismore City Councillors for not renewing their assets and asked the federal government to match the state government's investment in the Fresh Start Program that hires apprentices in local councils around NSW.