BRIEF NEWS: Fuel Saving Rubbish Trucks Double As Winter Gritters; Waste Authority Cuts Merseyside Councils Bills; And More

14 February 2012

Fuel Saving Rubbish Trucks Double As Winter Gritters

With the recent cold snaps and icy weather, street cleaning vehicles that can double up as winter gritters are set to be unveiled in Westminster as part of a new fleet that aims to save the tax payer millions of pounds.

The new fleet of rubbish disposal vehicles and smaller "pavement patrollers" are capable of achieving large fuel savings, with each individual round taken into account, will save more than £300,000 a year in fuel costs.

The fleet will also go about collecting the 35m bags of waste every year, with fewer noise disturbances and less impact on the green environment, as Co2 emissions are lower and hydraulic equipment is quieter. The street cleaning machines can also double up as pavement gritters during cold weather. With a simple attachment and flick of a switch they go from cleaning the streets to keeping them safe for pedestrians.

Veolia's contract manager in Westminster, Scott Edgell, said: "As part of our ongoing commitment to providing the City of Westminster with the latest advancements in vehicle technology, we believe that our new fleet and equipment ticks all the right boxes and will deliver impressive savings on both fuel and carbon emissions."

Councils across Merseyside will be paying a total of £2.5m less for their waste disposal services next year thanks to efficiency savings made by Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA).

The savings amount to an average 3.7 percent cut in the levy, which the authority charges the five councils and means they will now pay a total of £65m a year for the service.

Cllr Joe DeAsha, chair of the MRWA, said: "Our priority is to deliver value for money and do everything we can to support the councils who fund us without compromising on the facilities or services we provide.

"We've managed to do that with a thorough and detailed efficiency programme across the Authority and its contractors which has enabled us to save 3.7 percent and maintain the right level of service."

Carl Beer, chief executive of MRWA said: "The Authority has worked hard over the past few months to identify and deliver these reductions, and I'd like to thank all MRWA staff for all their efforts and help in achieving these.　 We hope to continue to find efficiencies and savings in the years to come that can help all of our partners."

We Are Nottingham Leisure, the Business Improvement District (BID) for licensed premises in the city centre, has teamed up with procurement consultancy Meercat Associates to launch a new waste collection service.

The new initiative offers licensees a reduced rate for general waste collection via Nottingham City Council, whilst also introducing a new mixed recycling collection by waste management provider Bakers Waste Services.

We Are Nottingham's chief executive Sylvia Oates explained: "We've found that many existing business waste collection services in the city centre offer nothing at all in terms of recycling. This means that waste that could potentially be recycled is simply being binned alongside general waste and is then sent to landfill.

"This is why we engaged Meercat Associates to develop a viable alternative. They will now be visiting every licensed venue in the city centre to discuss this new optional scheme and offer assistance in helping to reduce the amount of waste that each venue produces."

We Are Nottingham works alongside licensed venues in the city centre to help highlight Nottingham as a safe, vibrant destination.

Darrel Moore