Herefordshire Council is introducing its first electric waste collection vehicles as part of a new contract with FCC Environment, marking a step toward reducing emissions in municipal services. The deployment includes two Dennis Eagle eCollect electric waste vehicles among a larger fleet of 28 new collection trucks.
The electric vehicles are part of Herefordshire Council’s broader environmental commitments, as UK local authorities work to meet net zero targets. FCC Environment, which manages 1.5 million tonnes of waste annually and generates 167 megawatts of green energy across its UK operations, will operate the vehicles under an eight-year contract.
Brian Ashby, Head of Municipal Collections and Streetscene at FCC Environment, said: “We have trialled the Dennis Eagle eCollect, and due to its performance, we have procured two of these for use on this contract. I see Dennis Eagle – and other chassis providers – being essential for developing electric solutions, and I look forward to working with them to make this option available to new and existing clients,” Ashby added.
The eCollects will service the county’s population of approximately 200,000 residents alongside 26 conventional waste collection vehicles.
Ashby added: “Electric vehicles are not yet quite the like-for-like replacement of mineral-powered vehicles of the same specification, mainly due to range. However, I fully suspect that improved battery life and power are on the horizon, which will improve range.”
