Decision

To approve the purchase of 1 x electric refuse collection vehicle, including body and bin lift (‘the vehicle’).

To approve the purchase and installation of the required charging infrastructure for the vehicle (‘the charging infrastructure’).

To delegate authority to the Head of Recycling and Waste to approve the award of the contracts for (i) the purchase of the vehicle and (ii) the purchase and installation of the charging infrastructure (‘the contracts’).

To delegate authority to the Director of Communities, in consultation with the Assistant Director of Law and Governance, to finalise the terms and conditions of, and to approve the entering into of, the contracts.

Reasons for the decision

There are a number of refuse collection vehicles which are soon due a replacement and this will be one of those replacements.

Purchasing an electric refuse collection vehicle at this juncture will allow the Council sufficient time to further evaluate the differences between diesel and electric versions so that an informed decision can be made as to whether to replace all refuse collection vehicles with electric versions. As trials have been carried out with electric refuse collection vehicles and it has been established that they have the range to complete the work required, purchasing an electric vehicle is considered to be the next logical step to carry out further evaluation to ensure reliability and maintenance can match budget requirements.

Alternative options considered

To purchase a hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) refuse collection vehicle. This was rejected because it would not assist the Council in reaching its aspirations to reach net zero emissions by 2030.

To convert one of the Council’s existing refuse collection vehicles to electric. This was rejected because the vehicle would need to be refurbished to a high standard and, in the Council’s experience, it is not always possible to achieve this. It would also not meet the same safety standards as the new vehicle.