East Herts and North Herts Councils have made the switch to greener fuel to power their new refuse vehicles.
Delivered in partnership with Veolia, the 60 new recycling and waste collection vehicles are to be fuelled with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), replacing the older diesel vehicles across East and North Hertfordshire.
The transition will ensure that the local authorities’ vehicles are 90% cleaner than the older models, East Herts Council has confirmed.
A further 24 smaller electric vehicles are also to be rolled out in the region, some of which will be street cleansing vehicles and e-bikes.
To support the waste and recycling fleet, new collection routes have been put in place to increase efficiency. According to the council, this change will see a reduction in the number of trips taken by vehicles to Transfer Stations, as well as boosting air quality by decreasing the time that vehicles spend on the road.
The move is part of the councils’ broader sustainability targets of achieving net zero by 2030, with Veolia working with both authorities to achieve the aims of cutting carbon emissions produced by their recycling, waste collection and street cleansing services.
Cllr Tim Hoskin, Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability at East Herts Council, said: ‘This rollout shows how the council and Veolia are working together to improve air quality for the health of our communities.
‘At the same time, residents will benefit from quieter, cleaner collections as a result of this new fleet, while maintaining high standards of service.’
Cllr Amy Allen, Executive Member for Environment at North Herts Council, added that the partnership with Veolia and the council’s investment in a greener fleet is ‘a practical way we can tackle climate change locally while delivering essential services more sustainably’.
Sign up here to receive our free weekly news bulletin and quarterly e-book.
Photo: © Jeppe Gustafsson / Shutterstock.com.
Leave a Reply