How does a rubbish truck lift a bin?

On bin day, have you heard a deep rumble outside? A huge truck stops by the road. Then a full bin rises high into the air. How does a rubbish truck lift a bin?

Let's look at the back of the truck. Two strong metal arms stick out there. People call them the lifter, which means the part that lifts the bins. The lifter waits low down, near the road.

A worker wheels the full bin to the back of the truck. The worker pushes it right up close to the lifter. That way, the lifter can catch hold of it.

Look at the top of a wheelie bin. It has a rim, which means a thick, hard edge all the way around. The rim is thick and strong, so it can hold up the whole heavy bin.

Now the worker tips the bin gently against the lifter. A metal bar on the lifter slides under the rim. The rim rests on the bar like a coat on a hook, so the bin cannot slip.

Next, the worker presses a button on the side of the truck. The button tells the truck to start lifting. Then the worker steps back to watch.

Inside the truck, the engine runs a pump. The pump pushes oil along thin pipes, a bit like squeezing a toothpaste tube. The oil rushes into a strong metal tube beside the lifter.

Inside that tube sits a metal pole. The oil pushes in hard, and it shoves the pole out. The pole pushes on the lifter, so the lifter starts to rise.

Up goes the lifter, and up goes the bin, hanging by its rim. The more oil the pump pushes in, the higher the lifter climbs. What do you think happens when the bin goes higher and higher?

At the top, the lifter tips the bin upside down. The lid flops open, and the rubbish tumbles into the truck. Whoosh! That is why the lifter carries the bin up so high.

Lifter. Rim. A worker hooks the rim on the lifter, and pumped oil pushes the lifter up.

Next bin day, you can watch the lifter rise and give the worker a happy wave.