Colchester Borough Council is trialling an electric recycling and rubbish truck for collections this week, in a drive towards a fully electric fleet by 2030.
The vehicle from Dennis Eagle will be trialled by the council for one week and will be collecting recycling and rubbish across the borough on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It is a first step towards planning for a full decarbonisation of the recycling and rubbish vehicle fleet, which it hopes to achieve by 2030.
In 2019, the council declared a climate emergency, agreeing to deliver a net zero carbon footprint for council services by 2030. The emissions from the fleet currently make up approximately 22% of the council’s emissions and reducing them is critical to achieving the council’s net zero carbon ambitions.
Cllr Simon Crow, Colchester Borough Council Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, said: “We are committed to firm action to meet our ambitious target to be carbon neutral by 2030 and ensuring our public services are greener and cleaner in the future.
“This is one of a number of trials we are running, which will play a vital part in our planning to move to an electric fleet. It’s an excellent opportunity for our crews to see how the vehicle performs in real life. Keep your eyes open for this demo recycling vehicle as it goes about collections this week.”
The council is due to take delivery of its first six 100 percent electric vehicles in early 2022. Five vehicles will be used by the Neighbourhood Services team and one by the pest control team.
This project is just one of several measures being developed by the council in response to the climate emergency. To find out more about what the council is doing to combat the climate emergency visit: https://www.colchester.gov.uk/sustainability/our-strategy-and-climate-action-plan/
Page last reviewed: 9 November 2021