The council’s waste management team conducted the trial during March in partnership with Terberg Matec UK, its waste management contractor, Biffa, and Welsh Government.
Initial findings from the trial were said to have proved encouraging; with data collected showing a significant reduction of CO₂ emissions (414kgs) as well as a saving of £146.34 on fuel over a six-day period.
During the trial, the electric vehicle also showed it could cope with the distances covered on collections rounds on the island. It began each collection round fully charged, and there was still charge left at the end of the working day. Even on the day it travelled farthest (67 miles) there was still a 25% charge left on the vehicle.
Anglesey Council was pleased to support the trial, according to its head of highways, waste management and property, Huw Percy.
He explained, “Anglesey is proud of its recycling efforts and is now leading the way in trialling electric kerbside collection vehicles.”
“This was a very significant trial, as Terberg Matec will use the data collected to inform future development of electric vehicles across the UK. We look forward to seeing how the results can help us plan to replace our current diesel vehicles with electric alternatives over the coming years. Replacing our existing recycling collection fleet with electric vehicles would greatly help reduce CO₂ emissions, costs and go a long way towards helping the council meet its decarbonisation targets.”
“Our corporate fleet already has a number of other electric vehicles, which offer many advantages in terms of a cleaner and quieter environment as well as reducing running costs.”
Tackling climate change is now at the forefront of work and decisions undertaken by the county council. Its ambitious new roadmap towards becoming a carbon neutral organisation by 2030 was recently approved.
The Towards Net Zero Plan 2022-2025 will provide a coordinated council response to climate change whilst promoting a cultural shift to ensure that services minimise all greenhouse gas emissions as far as possible.
The Welsh Government has declared a target of achieving a net zero public sector by 2030 and the whole of Wales by 2050.