Launch of NZ's first electric waste collection vehicle

Launch of New Zealand’s first electric vehicle dedicated to waste collection

Waste Management continues its move towards a fleet of electric cars and trucks operating on the country’s roads

Auckland, 3 May: The first electric vehicle to be used exclusively for waste collection by a major New Zealand waste management company has begun operating as part of a partnership with Countdown supermarkets.

Waste Management announced its move towards electric vehicles as part of its ongoing sustainability commitment in September last year. The company runs one of New Zealand’s largest fleets of trucks and cars with over 200 cars and 800 trucks operating across the country.

Tom Nickels, Waste Management Managing Director, says the new trucks will be trialled as part of the company’s plans to progressively shift to EVs over the next five years.

“Reducing transport emissions will help safeguard our environment for future generations. At Waste Management we have a large fleet of trucks and cars on the road and adopting electric vehicle technology helps us achieve this aim.

“I’m delighted to see our new electric truck out collecting waste from Countdown following the successful launch of our fleet of electric cars last year.”

James Walker, General Manager Corporate Affairs at Countdown, says using an electric vehicle to collect food waste sits well with its own sustainable practices.

“We’re focused on minimising the environmental impact of our business, including reducing food waste wherever possible. As a business monitoring our own carbon emissions, using an EV to handle what waste we do have makes perfect sense.”

The new box body truck, which will initially be used to collect food waste from a select group of Countdown supermarkets, was converted from diesel to electric by world leading electric mobility integrator EMOSS in The Netherlands. It will be joined this year by the first side-loader waste collection truck which will be used for residential kerbside wheelie bin collection on Auckland’s streets. Waste Management plans to launch another electric truck in Christchurch later this year.

Waste Management generates electricity from the gas it captures at its high- technology landfill and energy parks. Its Redvale facility is Auckland’s largest renewable energy generator. Combining the use of EVs with the ability to generate power from waste is an example of the company’s sustainable “circular economy” in action.

ENDS

© Scoop Media