Kingston becomes one of first councils in UK to switch to all-electric waste collection fleet

It is a milestone for climate action that will deliver cleaner, greener, quieter services for residents across the borough. 

The 27 vehicles, which will begin to replace the current diesel fleet from September, don't produce any harmful exhaust emissions while driving. This 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 and is part of its drive to find sustainable solutions to tackle climate change.

The new fleet will also improve the way food waste and recycling is collected. Currently, recycling and food are collected on the same vehicle and placed into different compartments. Moving forward, households will be visited each week by a larger electric recycling truck and a smaller electric food waste truck. Each vehicle will be able to stay on the road longer, only having to go to the tip when completely full. Contamination of recycling, where the wrong materials are mixed together, can have a significant impact on the proportion of material recycled, and on the cost to separate and process it. The dedicated collection vehicles will help improve the quality of the service and increase the amount of recycling. 

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. ” 

A recent study showed over a quarter of what is placed in general rubbish bins in Kingston is food waste that could be collected in food waste containers and made into compost and green energy. By making full use of the food waste service by the new dedicated vehicles, residents will be able to do their bit for the environment. The cost of using the food waste service is also much lower - if all food waste from Kingston households was recycled, it would knock at least £800k off of the council’s waste bill every year. This is money that could be spent on essential services elsewhere. 

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.”