Waste collection vehicle with bucket drive mechanism

A waste collection vehicle comprising:

• a frame for supporting an engine, a transmission system, a plurality of wheels and a cab;
• a waste container pivotally mounted to the frame behind the cab, the container being movable from a generally horizontal posture for loading and carrying waste and a generally inclined posture for dumping the waste through a rear tailgate, the container having a bin for the waste and a movable bucket for receiving the waste through one or more side-loading ports in side walls of the container and for transferring the waste into the bin;
• and
• a bucket drive mechanism for raising the bucket while maintaining sliding contact between the bucket and a divider wall of the bin and for pivoting the bucket for transferring the waste into the bin.

A method of collecting material in a vehicle, the method comprising:

• receiving the material in a bucket through a side-loading port in a container;
• raising the bucket while maintaining sliding contact between the bucket and a divider wall of a bin housed within the container;
• and
• rotating the bucket to dump the material into the bin.