A new all-electric fleet of 27 waste collection trucks is being rolled out by Kingston Council and Veolia.
The vehicles, which have begun to replace the current diesel fleet this month, will help to improve the borough’s air quality and contribute to the council’s climate targets by significantly reducing carbon emissions generated while collecting waste and recycling.
Powering all vehicles from the grid will remove 554 tonnes of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to taking 270 cars off the road.
The borough’s move to an electric fleet is planned to be complete by the end of October.
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.
“By introducing an electric waste fleet, we’ll help improve the borough’s air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly, bringing us closer to achieving net zero by 2030.”
Scott Edgell, General Manager for Veolia South London said, “We’re excited to see our partnership with Kingston Council result in a better service for residents, along with reduced air and noise pollution thanks to the introduction of our new electric fleet of recycling and waste collection vehicles.
“By constantly innovating our resources and services we can drive ecological transformation across the borough and support our partner on their net zero carbon journey.”
