Waste-collection services in Kingston are set to become fully electric after Kingston Council announced the introduction of a new fleet of electric refuse collection vehicles (eRCVs) fleet in partnership with resource management company Veolia.
Veolia, Kingston Council’s recycling and waste collections partner, will operate the 27-strong fleet of eRCVs.
The vehicles are powered by lithium-ion batteries and are specifically designed for urban environments, meaning collection routes will reportedly be completed on one charge.
The initiative, which kicks off this month, forms part of Kingston Council’s broader commitment to achieving net-zero by 2030.
Councillor Noel Hadjimichael, Kingston Council’s portfolio holder for assets, commissioning and waste, said: “This is a huge milestone for climate action in Kingston.
“We are committed to finding sustainable solutions to tackle climate change and introducing a fully electric waste-collection fleet demonstrates that.
“We are proud to be one of the first authorities nationally to make such a move.”
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Set to take to Kingston streets in the autumn, the eRCVs will gradually replace the councils’ current diesel models, thereby reducing harmful emissions such as nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter.
What’s more, the new trucks will be dedicated to single material collections as opposed to their current diesel counterparts, which are split to allow for simultaneous food waste and mixed recycling collections.
According to the council, this can lead to contamination, which means the eRCVs will help improve the quality of recycling and therefore Kingston’s recycling rate.
This should also reduce the number of trips each vehicle has to make to the tip, thereby saving energy.
Innovations and achievements in fleet technology and electric vehicles will be highlighted and celebrated at the second annual CiTTi Awards on 21 November 2023 at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector – and to book your table today!
