Manchester City Council takes on 27 zero emission bin lorries

Manchester City Council has announced that it is to replace almost half of its refuse collection vehicles with emission-free electric alternatives.

Following agreement on funding with the council, Biffa, which holds the contract for waste collection and street cleaning in the city, has placed an order for 27 new electric refuse collection vehicles (e-RCVs) to replace diesel wagons which have reached the end of their natural lifespans.

It is hoped that the move will help deliver on Manchester City Council’s zero carbon action plan which aims to halve its direct carbon emissions by 2025 as part of a wider drive to make Manchester zero carbon by 2038 at the latest in response to the climate change emergency. The switch to electric eRCVs will save around 900 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, cutting around four per cent of the council's current direct annual emissions.

Rabnawaz Akbar, executive member for Neighbourhoods, said: "As a council we've said all along that we will have to do things very differently to realise our ambition to dramatically cut carbon emissions. We're proud, together with Biffa, that our waste collection service is in the forefront of the forward-thinking response to the climate change challenge and we hope it will inspire others to follow suit. The only difference to the new service that residents should notice is that the new vehicles are quieter and cleaner."

The commitment will cost Manchester City Council just shy of £10 million, marginally more than it would have cost for a like-for-like replacement with diesel vehicles.

The order was placed with Blackburn-based manufacturer Electra, a company producing heavy electric trucks in collaboration with the largest truck manufacturers in the world.