Eight new vehicles have been introduced to Hackney’s waste services as part of a commitment to provide one of the cleanest emission fleets in London.

The two 12 tonne RCV compact refuse collection vehicles, five compact CX200 street sweepers and a compact CW200 street washer were delivered last month. They are the first of 20 new vehicles to be delivered as part of Hackney Council’s ongoing investment in fleet support to frontline services such as waste collection and street cleansing.

Through careful specification and procurement, the Council’s Fleet Management Unit is striving to provide one of the cleanest emission fleets in London. The new vehicle replacements have been ordered to meet Euro 5 emission standard wherever possible.

With an electric vehicle that has been in operation since 2004 and trialling of new electric vehicle technology underway, five per cent of the Council’s fleet already meets Euro 5 emission standard. A further 80 per cent of the fleet meets Euro 4 emission standards.

Councillor Alan Laing, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “We’ve listened to our residents and have done a lot of work to reduce carbon emissions and improve cleanliness across the borough. The new vehicles are a significant investment in equipment that will support the excellent work of our street cleaners as the Council strives to make Hackney cleaner, greener.”

The Council is in the process of renewing and modernising the existing street cleansing fleet to improve efficiency overall.

The next step is to operate some vehicles on biodiesel that come from sustainable sources, which is expected to take effect later this year. The Fleet unit are also investigating suitability and resources for electrically powered refuse collection vehicles.

For more information about Hackney’s waste services call 020 8356 6688 or visit the Council’s website: www.hackney.gov.uk