Reading and Newbury businesses will be the first in the country to benefit from zero carbon waste collections by the UK’s first purpose-built all-electric Scania commercial trade waste collection vehicle.
Delivered at a cost of £0.5 million, it is the latest addition to Grundon’s fleet as the company continues to adopt electric and hybrid fuels on the road to decarbonisation.
Based at Grundon’s operation at Beenham, the new vehicle will serve the town and surrounding areas.
John Stephens, Grundon’s General Manager – Logistics, says: “We are delighted to have broken new ground by launching the first Scania all-electric commercial trade waste collection vehicle in the UK. We’re aiming to deliver a greener, cleaner collection fleet which is better for our drivers, our customers and the planet.
“This not only puts us in pole position as more and more towns and cities move towards adopting low emission zones; it is also a big step forward in helping local businesses to achieve their sustainability targets by reducing carbon emissions through net zero waste collections.”
John Stephens
General Manager - Logistics
During 2023, Grundon invested £5 million in its fleet as part of its commitment to achieving net zero.
Two repowered electric waste collection vehicles – converted from existing diesel vehicles – were launched this summer and by the end of 2023, a further three all-electric vehicles will join the fleet, taking the current total to six.
A further investment of £6.5 million will see that figure at least doubled in 2024, with the Reading/Newbury fleet of electric waste vehicles set to expand.
For every tonne of non-recyclable waste collected by the electric vehicles and deposited into an Energy from Waste (EfW) facility, around 620kW of power is generated. As each all-electric vehicle collects an average of five tonnes of waste per round, it means the EfW is capable of generating 3,100kW of renewable energy per day, per vehicle – enough to power an average-sized house for a year.
Electric waste collection vehicles deliver a range of benefits, including helping to reduce air and noise pollution, as well as delivering a cleaner environment.
Alongside its investment in EVs, Grundon is also embracing other alternative fuels, including hydrogen and Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).