A side-loading robotic arm for use with front-end loaders. The robotic arm is configured for disposition forward of a liftable container. The robotic arm includes a tip arm that is pivotable between a stowed position and an operational position. The stowed position stores the tip arm and gripper arms inside a vertical plane of the lifting forks of the front-end loader. Preferably, the tip arm and gripper arms are disposed in a cut-out recess on a sidewall of the liftable container. The operational position extends the tip arm and gripper arms outside of the vertical plane of the major lifting arms of the front-end loader.

Operating a refuse collection vehicle to collect refuse from a refuse container includes positioning a refuse collection vehicle with respect to a refuse container to be emptied, and manually engaging a switch to initiate a dump cycle to be performed by the refuse collection vehicle on the refuse container. The dump cycle includes engaging the refuse container with a portion of the vehicle, lifting the engaged refuse container to a dump position, and moving the refuse container to release contents of the refuse container into a hopper of the refuse collection vehicle. The dump cycle continues to completion as long as the switch remains manually engaged.

A refuse vehicle includes a chassis, a body, a refuse collection arm, a position sensor configured to detect a position of the refuse collection arm relative to the body, an object detection system configured to provide object detection data within a range of locations relative to the body, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive an indication, based on the object detection data, that an object is within the range of locations, in response to the indication that the object is within the range of locations, determine an initial location of the object relative to the body and determine if the object is an obstacle or a refuse container, and control operation of the refuse collection arm by limiting movement of the refuse collection arm to a grabbing position.