General rubbish and food collections are going greener and cleaner with the arrival of a new fleet of state-of-the-art refuse lorries.
Boasting enhanced engine efficiency and greater safety for pedestrians and other road users, the seven vehicles represent a £1.4 million investment into the Island’s waste collection service by the Isle of Wight Council and its waste contractor, Amey.
Bacon: They need the best tools possible
Cllr Jonathan Bacon, Cabinet member for the environment and waste services, said,
“Our hardworking crews do a great job as part of our effort to keep the Island’s streets clean.
“But they need the best tools possible in order to do this — the refresh of our fleet will improve the reliability of the collection rounds, while at the same time helping towards our wider environmental ambitions by being cleaner and more efficient than the older vehicles they replace.
“As a council we are always looking for ways to improve the services we offer to our residents. We are currently considering a number of potential options and proposals. One of these is a provision to be able to collect batteries and small electrical items; we would be interested to know if the public would welcome this as part of the waste collection service.”
Quieter bin lift technology and enhanced safety systems
Each lorry is fitted with quieter bin lift technology and enhanced safety systems, including flashing warning signs and an audio warning before the vehicle turns left.
They also come equipped with CCTV cameras and a system which alerts the driver to any objects that cross the vehicle’s path when reversing.
The fleet will work alongside the existing Mercedes recycling collection lorries which entered service in 2016.
Separate food collection pod
As with the recycling vehicles, the new refuse lorries feature a separate food collection pod where the contents of food caddies are placed.
Food waste is sent to a specialist plant where it is used to generate electricity and produce nutrient rich farmland fertiliser.
Indoor and outdoor food caddies are available for free to households, to request one call (01983) 823777 or order one via the Website.
The vehicles began service this week ahead of the festive season.
No changes to household collections over Christmas
Unlike recent years, there are no changes to household collections over Christmas due to Christmas Day falling on a weekend.
Lynnbottom and Afton Marsh recycling centres will close on Christmas Day only and will otherwise be open as normal.
Between Monday 20th December and Friday 14th January, residents can leave excess polystyrene out in clear or white sacks only next to their black bin or gull sack.
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
