Serco introduces electric vehicles for refuse collection

Serco has announced a new collaboration with two companies - VEV and Refuse Vehicle Solutions (RVS) - to undertake an electric recycling and refuse collection vehicle trial programme across Basingstoke and Deane and Hart and Rushmoor council areas, starting from this week.

The pilot will provide the data required to enable Serco to investigate the feasibility of electrifying the recycling and refuse fleet across these and other recycling and refuse collection contracts moving forward.

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The pilot project has been launched across Basingstoke and Deane, Hart and Rushmoor councils (Image: Serco)

RVC has refurbished and repowered two diesel refuse collection trucks into as-new electric vehicles for the trial.

This means that as well as delivering emissions and noise benefits, these vehicles can also boast carbon savings in comparison to manufacturing completely new electric vehicles.

The electric charging infrastructure has been supplied and installed by VEV, which is also providing a management platform, VEV-IQ,  which will track performance throughout the pilot.

Cabinet member for climate and ecological emergency Cllr Chris Tomblin with some of the crew trialling the zero-emission bin truck that is taking to the streets across BDBC as part of a six-week pilot scheme (Image: Contributed)

Both Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Hart District Council have taken steps towards their carbon neutrality goals by replacing most of their kerbside waste and recycling diesel trucks with low-carbon biofuel vehicles starting from next month. 

With carbon emissions up to 98 per cent lower than diesel according to government conversion figures, the move to hydrogenated vegetable oil will make the district’s air cleaner and the region's waste and recycling collections more environmentally friendly. 

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BDBC's cabinet member for climate and ecological emergency, Cllr Chris Tomblin said: “We know how important waste and recycling collections are to our residents and I’m pleased this swap to biofuel gives us a way to maintain a reliable service and cut our current carbon footprint by over 1,000 tonnes at the same time.

“Combined with our other carbon-cutting action so far, this swap means the council will have shrunk its carbon footprint by more than 70 per cent since declaring a climate emergency and setting its ambitious target to be carbon neutral by December 2025.

“We are committed to our target and will continue to push forward with climate-positive action as we explore every option to make the council fully carbon neutral. That’s why we are piloting the electric vehicle.”

Hart district council's portfolio holder for climate change and corporate services, Cllr Richard Quarterman said: “I am delighted we have been able to deliver this significant positive step for carbon reduction in one of our key services.  

“Finding ways to reduce carbon emissions across all our services is central to our activities and we are determined to push forward with actions that will help us achieve our goal of becoming a carbon-neutral council by 2035. The trial of a zero-emission electric bin truck offers an option to explore the viability of these vehicles in the future.”