Enfield receives first electric Renault RCV

Enfield London borough council has received the first of four Renault electric refuse collection vehicles which are being delivered this year after extensive road trials in the borough.

For use on daily rounds stretching up to about 50 miles, the trucks have four lithium-ion batteries.

The batteries will be charged at Enfield’s civic centre and at the waste depot. The RCVs are E-tech 27-tonne rear-steer 6x2s, with low entry cabs. Enfield has also ordered five E-Tech 33kWh 3.5-tonners for fleet work.

Renault said that the twin AC motor drivelines deliver a peak power of up to 370kW and a continuous power of 260kW.

Councillor Rick Jewell, Enfield’s cabinet member for environment, said: “Where possible, electric vehicles will be our first choice when it comes to fleet replacements. This will result in a fleet of clean and efficient vehicles. Moving to electric vehicles will ensure our carbon footprint is reduced and kept to a minimum.”

The cabinet member continued: “Enfield Council has been working in partnership with Renault Trucks UK for more than a year on the development of the electric refuse truck. Prototypes went through extensive testing and road trials right here in Enfield. We were extremely happy with how the vehicles performed in our waste collection operations, demonstrating high performance and reliability, even along our longer routes, and very good battery life. This performance is critical for a large, busy, London borough.”

Gloucester City fleet transformed with wrapping

Gloucester city council, which is a shareholder in contractor Ubico, has given its kerbside recycling fleet a vinyl wrapping makeover.

A total of 14 six-year-old Romaquip Kerb-Sort recycling vehicles have been given a new lease of life using “high quality vinyl” and updated graphics, designed and installed by Cannock-based Creative Vehicle Wrapping (CVW).

The existing wrapping needed to be removed from all the compartments before the vehicles could be re-wrapped with a new design, the company explained. New decals were installed to the cabs, along with chevrons and messaging that were applied to the rear of the body.

Ian Bourton, head of fleet operations at Ubico, said: “The vehicles are in good condition from an operational point of view, but they were looking very tired and carried branding from the previous contractor.

“CVW has done a great job in bringing them back to life. The quality of vinyl and the clarity of the images and graphics is first class, and the in-house design expertise at CVW is excellent. We are delighted with the results.”

Jon Siviter, director, Creative Vehicle Wrapping: ”This was a complex project involving the removal of existing vinyl from the vehicle’s compartments before we could start to re-wrap the vehicle. The great thing is that although the vehicles are 6 years old, the previous wrapping has protected the bodywork and was therefore suitable for wrapping. We’re really pleased to have given the vehicles a second life.”

Spelthorne retains SFS as fleet provider

Spelthorne borough council in Surrey has retained Specialist Fleet Services Ltd (SFS) as its chosen fleet provider after announcing the award of a second contract commencing in June 2023.

As part of the contract, 17 vehicles consisting of 12 x refuse collection vehicles and five sweepers are due to be delivered as part of the seven-year contract, which includes maintenance, to replace the council’s current waste, recycling, and street cleansing fleet.

Cllr Richard Barratt, chair of Spelthorne’s neighbourhood services committee, said: “We are delighted to have signed a new seven-year contract with Specialist Fleet Services for 17 new vehicles and maintenance. We have a strong working relationship with SFS and look forward to continuing to work together to provide reliable and cost-effective refuse services for the residents of Spelthorne.”

Northampton-based fleet management company SFS celebrates its 30-year anniversary this year and provides the complete range of vehicle hire and fleet management services to both the public and private sector, including contract hire, short term vehicle hire through its vehicle rental division CTS Hire, vehicle maintenance, workshop management, technical advice, and consultancy. SFS also runs its own network of workshops across the UK and a nationwide fleet of mobile engineers.

Bob Sweetland, managing director, of SFS – which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year – said: “We have built a great working relationship with Spelthorne borough council. We have invested significant resources into gaining an in-depth understanding of the council’s operational needs and used our many years of experience to provide a ‘perfect fit’ fleet, which is well maintained to maximise vehicle availability and keep services running efficiently.”

Veolia reports carbon reduction on Dover contract

Veolia’s has reported that a decrease of 7.5% in carbon emissions has been achieved in Dover as part of its new environmental services contract with the district council.

Veolia’s said that a commitment to supporting Dover district council’s aim to achieve their objective of Carbon Net Zero by 2030 has made a positive start. The carbon footprint of electricity, gas and fuel consumed by Dover’s recycling, waste and street cleansing operations has dropped by 7.5% when comparing 2022 to 2020. Specifically, consumption was reduced by 10.5% for electricity, 10.2% for gas and 7.5% for fuel.

Veolia has been providing waste and recycling collections, food waste, and street cleaning in the Folkestone & Hythe and Dover areas since 2011 and was awarded an eight-year contract in January 2021. Since the start of the new contract, Veolia has implemented a number of carbon reduction initiatives. This has included launching a new green fleet of vehicles and electric sweepers, and redesigned collection routes to minimise travel times. Other measures include smart LED lighting, vehicles with new electric bin lifts and an anti-idling campaign.

David Fitzgerald, general manager – municipal south east at Veolia said: “These positive results demonstrate Veolia’s commitment to supporting our partner Dover district council in achieving net zero carbon emissions. The carbon footprint reduction will have a positive impact on the environment as well as local communities and we will continue to invest in methods and technologies that create a better and more sustainable future for all.”

Cllr Nicholas Kenton, Dover’s cabinet member for environment said: “We are very pleased that Veolia’s decarbonisation measures, which this council stipulated as part of the contract, seem to be paying off. We are fully committed to our net zero carbon emissions target and it’s great news that Veolia is supporting us in this way.”