Westminster and Veolia roll-out electric refuse fleet

Westminster City Council and Veolia have announced the rollout of one of the UK’s largest electric refuse collection fleets, powered by the waste they collect. 

The vehicles are the next generation in electric Refuse Collection Vehicle (RCV) development, and as well as delivering a clean and quiet service, are powered directly by energy generated from the waste they collect. Housed in a specially designed depot, smart charging infrastructure will ensure they are ready for use when required.

Westminster Council has invested £20m in the 45 new zero emission trucks and will eventually replace its entire 80-strong truck fleet, in the biggest decarbonisation programme of its kind by a UK local authority, it claims.

Many of the vehicles will be housed at the new fully electric depot in Bermondsey with batteries drawing electric power from an adjacent energy recovery facility, which uses the waste collected from homes and businesses in Westminster. Veolia worked to procure, design and operate the new depot and charging infrastructure, which will be capable of charging 54 vehicles simultaneously. Smart charging will allow the partnership to support the National Grid by receiving power at non-peak times to maximise local resources and strengthen the Grid’s resilience.

The move will see a reduction of 89% CO2e compared to a diesel-powered fleet.

Pascal Hauret, Managing Director Veolia UK Municipal, said: “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. 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.” 

Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, Cabinet Member for City Management and Air Quality, 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 per cent, 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.”

Image courtesy of Veolia/Westminster City Council

Sign up for our essential
newsletter service.

Enter your details here.