Westminster City Council has joined forces with Veolia to invest £20 million in 45 new zero emission waste collection trucks, as part of its rollout of the UK’s largest electric refuse collection.
The vehicles will be powered by energy generated from the waste they collect, and will be housed in a specially designed Veolia depot with smart charging infrastructure to ensure they are ready to go when needed.
The council will gradually replace its entire 80-strong truck fleet in what is anticipated to be the biggest decarbonisation programme of its kind by a UK local authority. The electric vehicles will charge their batteries by drawing electric power from an adjacent energy recovery facility which uses waste from homes and businesses in Westminster.
“It’s fantastic to see our teams working together with Westminster City Council to deliver a cleaner, greener and quieter service for residents, businesses and visitors across the city,” said Veolia UK Municipal managing director Pascal Hauret.
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“Using the waste we collect to power the electric fleet is an exciting innovation because that creates a local loop of energy, using local resources to run local services,” he continued.
“I’m incredibly proud of the solutions Veolia and Westminster are pioneering together to build the sustainable municipal services we need, now and in the future.”
Cabinet Member for City Management and Air Quality Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg said: “By replacing diesel-powered refuse trucks with a £20m investment in UK-built electric vehicles, Westminster City Council is voting with its fleet.”
“The trailblazing electrification will deliver an essential service that is quieter for residents, improves air quality in central London and reduces our fleet emissions by 50% or over 2,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
“This is a significant moment in the evolution of sustainable council services and we look forward to further expanding our zero-emission vehicle fleet in the future.”
