The council is using the vehicle, which was built by Dennis Eagle Ltd, to collect domestic residual waste on a weekly basis, and household recyclables and garden waste on alternate weeks, from remote parts of West Norfolk.
And, the purchase will also allow rural residents to use its brown bin garden waste collection service for the first time, when previously it was not financially viable for the council.
The new vehicle does the same job that three vehicles were doing in the past and the council said this will help the environment by reducing traffic congestion on rural roads and lowering noise and air pollution.
Councillor Brian Long, Cabinet Member for the Environment, commented: “We are very excited to be adding this vehicle to our waste management fleet. It provides us with a great opportunity to offer all our residents a high quality waste collection service whilst enabling us to cut costs during this difficult financial time.”
The vehicle is designed to collect two waste streams and has two completely separate bodies, tailgates and independent operational systems which safeguard the waste against cross-contamination during collection and transportation to relevant waste disposal depots.
The council chose the split-bodied waste collection vehicle after successful waste management trials throughout the country.
Cllr Long was keen to stress that the vehicle would keep waste and recyclables separate. He said: “We want our residents to be aware of the positive aspects of this vehicle and not be concerned when they see the waste which they have carefully separated being put into the same vehicle. Their hard work has not been in vain and they should be assured that their waste will be kept, and disposed of, separately”
He added: “The commitment of the local residents towards recycling and waste minimisation has been fantastic to date, so we hope that this vehicle will show them that we are also dedicated and committed to improving the environment which we live and work within as well.”
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