EV's keeping Swale clean
Published
Monday 10 March, 2025
Updated
Monday 10 March, 2025
Two new electric waste vehicles have joined the Swale Borough Council fleet, boosting street cleaning and fly-tipping removal efforts while significantly reducing carbon emissions.
The two caged Fiat eDucato eTecnicos are now in service, assisting street cleaners, helping empty public litter bins and removing fly-tipping.
These additions compliment the council’s existing fleet of state-of-the-art waste vehicles introduced at the start of the new waste contract with SUEZ in March 2024.
Charging the electric vehicles is considerably cheaper than diesel fuel, projecting significant savings over the remaining seven years of the contract.
With an impressive 230-mile range on a single charge, the vehicles are expected to reduce carbon emissions by 16 tonnes of CO2 compared to their diesel counterparts, contributing to cleaner air within the borough.
These new vehicles join 24 recycling and waste lorries that feature electric lifts and dedicated food waste storage, along with three street sweepers already in operation.
Cllr Rich Lehmann, chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee, said:
“These new electric vehicles are already making a difference, helping us to keep our streets clean, tackling litter and fly-tipping, and improving the reliability of our service.
“The financial and carbon savings made electric vehicles the obvious choice, and we’re proud to be taking these steps towards carbon neutrality while also achieving long-term cost savings.
“While we’re working to improve reliability, the new waste service has unfortunately seen unacceptable levels of contamination in our recycling. This includes food waste, black sacks, sanitary products, electronics, and textiles.
“Every piece of recycling has value, and the more we recycle correctly, the more sustainable our service becomes. This reduces costs and the amount of waste sent for incineration, which is better for the planet.
“It’s vital that residents understand how to use their bins correctly and what items go where, whether that’s recycling or using the food waste caddy.
“If we work together as a borough, we can make a real difference and, collectively, we can save tens of thousands of pounds. ”
For guidance on what goes in which bin, please visit what goes in your bin.
