Street cleaning crews have switched on to the benefits of green transport with their newest van.
The diminutive all-electric tipper vehicle can now be seen around the city centre.
Crews can collect up to five tonnes of rubbish from the city centre in 24 hours, and despite its size, crews can load over 100 bags of waste and litter into the back the of van.
In fact, its smaller size is a big advantage – it makes it ideal for accessing narrow alleyways that the usual, larger vehicles can’t.
The electric vehicle has no emissions and is more manoeuvrable, so is well suited to being used in pedestrian areas to empty bins.
As well as helping the crews offer an efficient service, the vehicle is helping the council improve its environmental performance.
Councillor Mark Dobson, executive member for the environment, said:
“We’re aiming to cut emissions in the city by 40% by 2020, so we’re constantly looking at ways to make our services greener.
“Our city centre street cleaning team provide a high profile service in some of our busiest streets around the clock and all year long. The new van is a great addition and is already proving to be effective in helping the team maintain the excellent standards of cleanliness people expect.
“As well as the operational benefits, the new vehicle demonstrates our commitment to making carbon and financial savings.”
The electric tipper van joins a 40-strong fleet of electric, hybrid and gas fuelled vans and refuse collection vehicles.
