Electric bin lorry to be added to Barnsley Council’s fleet

An electric bin lorry is set to be added to Barnsley Council’s fleet, as part of a £6m vehicle procurement programme.

A report to be approved by BMBC’s cabinet tomorrow states that the electric refuse collection vehicle “will be used primarily to collect commercial waste, but also be used by domestic waste to assess the suitability on various routes”.

BMBC already has 33 electric vehicles, which makes up 15 per cent of its fleet, according to the report, which estimates that the vehicles procured since 2019 produce around 75 per cent less CO2 per km travelled than the older vehicles they have replaced.

The report states that the refuse collection vehicle will cost around £450,000 – and will “only be purchased if the whole life cost business case demonstrates that buying this represents value for money”.

A demonstration vehicle is currently being trialled by the authority’s domestic and commercial waste services.

Overall, BMBC proposes to purchase 125 vehicles and items of equipment during 2022/23.

Councillor Chris Lamb, cabinet spokesperson for environment and transport, said: “Making greener choices in the vehicles we use as a council is helping reduce carbon emissions and decrease our reliance on fossil fuels.

“We’re working towards reducing our carbon emissions to net-zero by 2040, and sooner than that if we can. One of the challenges is how we can shift away from diesel when it comes to the larger vehicles and machinery we need to use in some of the work we do as a council.

“I’m so pleased that our recent trial with an electric waste vehicle was a success.

“If approved by cabinet, this new vehicle will be used on our commercial waste collections at first.

“However our crews will also have the chance to try it out on household waste collection rounds too so we can assess how well it performs right across our borough.

“This will help us plan how we replace our other vehicles as and when they become ready for replacement.”