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Grundon unveils £500,000 purpose-built electric RCV for commercial waste

Grundon has said that businesses in Reading and Newbury will be the “first in the country to benefit from zero carbon waste collections”, as the company has unveiled  a £500,000 purpose-built all-electric Scania commercial trade waste collection vehicle.

Grundon's £500,000 electric commercial waste RCV

The vehicle will be based  at Grundon’s operation at Beenham, and will serve the town and surrounding areas.

John Stephens, Grundon’s general manager for logistics, said: “We are delighted to have broken new ground by launching the first Scania all-electric commercial trade waste collection vehicle in the UK. We’re aiming to deliver a greener, cleaner collection fleet which is better for our drivers, our customers and the planet.

“This not only puts us in pole position as more and more towns and cities move towards adopting low emission zones; it is also a big step forward in helping local businesses to achieve their sustainability targets by reducing carbon emissions through net zero waste collections.”

Investment

The move forms part of Grundon’s £5 million investment into electric vehicles in 2023.

Two repowered electric waste collection vehicles – converted from existing diesel vehicles – were launched this summer and by the end of 2023, a further three all-electric vehicles will join the fleet, taking the current total to six.

A further investment of £6.5 million will see that figure at least doubled in 2024, with the Reading/Newbury fleet of electric waste vehicles set to expand.

The company explained for every tonne of non-recyclable waste collected by the electric vehicles and deposited into an energy from waste facility, around 620kW of power is generated. As each all-electric vehicle collects an average of five tonnes of waste per round, it means the EfW is capable of generating 3,100kW of renewable energy per day, per vehicle – enough to power an average-sized house for a year.

Alongside its investment in electric RCVs, Grundon added that it “is also embracing other alternative fuels, including hydrogen and hydrotreated vegetable oil”.

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