A “pioneering” fleet of zero-emission waste collection trucks – powered by the waste they collect – has been unveiled by Westminster City Council.
The collection of 45 trucks will be introduced over the coming weeks, with the Labour-run authority saying they will reduce vehicle noise, cut air pollution and lower the borough’s carbon emissions.
“By replacing diesel-powered refuse trucks with a £20m investment in UK-built electric vehicles, Westminster City Council is voting with its fleet,” said Paul Dimoldenberg, the authority’s cabinet member for city management and air quality.
He added that the fleet will be “pioneering” innovation which “creates a local loop of energy, using local resources to run local services”.
The new fleet will be housed at a fully-electric depot at Landmann Way, near Bermondsey.
The vehicles, operated by the company Veolia, will charge their batteries by drawing electric power from an adjacent energy recovery facility which uses the waste collected from Westminster’s homes and businesses.
The trucks will be the mainstay of a wider zero-emission refuse fleet which also includes 90 electric street cleaning vehicles ranging from e-bikes to e-sweepers.
The project was partially paid for using a loan from the Mayor of London’s Energy Efficiency Fund, a £500m investment fund intended to deliver sustainable schemes and infrastructure across the capital.
