Liverpool launches UK’s biggest biogas-powered refuse vehicle fleet
Liverpool has launched the UK’s biggest eco-friendly fleet of refuse vehicles powered by biomethane a compressed natural gas (CNG). The 20-strong fleet will help to cut Liverpool City Council’s carbon footprint, as they produce 80% fewer carbon emissions and 90% less nitrogen oxide than the previous diesel vehicles.
Each new CNG-fuelled wagon will cover more than 150,000 miles per year and has a Mercedes-Benz Econic chassis with a Faun Zoeller Variopress body and a load capacity of up to 10.5 tonnes. Liverpool Streetscene Services (LSSL), a subsidiary of Liverpool City Council, has invested £3.4 million (€4.04 million) in the new fleet. A CNG fuelling station has also been installed at LSSL’s refuse collection depot.
According to a report by the Liverpool Express, the purchase follows the recent announcement that Liverpool is on track to meet its climate change targets three years ahead of schedule. The city has achieved an 18% reduction in carbon emissions since 2012 and is on course to reach 35% by the end of 2020.
“This investment in a new fleet of refuse vehicles is a great statement of intent in our goal to make Liverpool a cleaner and greener city,” said Liverpool’s mayor Joe Anderson.
“The council inherited a tired and run-down fleet that was inefficient, unreliable and costly. Having a brand new refuse fleet that is bigger, more efficient and safer gives our collection teams the right tools to ensure residents receive a more reliable service. However, we still need residents to take action by reducing, reusing and recycling their waste to enable us to hit our targets and reduce the costs to them.”
Stewart Gregory, commercial director at Faun Zoeller, said: “Liverpool City Council and Liverpool Street Scene Services are a valued client to Faun Zoeller. We have enjoyed an excellent relationship with the team at Liverpool over a number of years, and to have been able to assist in the integration of CNG into the fleet has been a valuable experience.
“It is great to work with such forward thinking local authorities, and we are already in discussions with options for the future, including our Bluepower hydrogen-powered vehicles. Collectively, we are now in a position to advise our clients who are looking at alternative fuels to diesel.”
Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for the environment and sustainability, councillor Laura Robertson-Collins, added: “It is vital that we improve the air quality across our city. As a council, we will do all we can to move away from the use of diesel and other fuels that compromise health within our own vehicle fleet.
“We are currently looking at a possible ‘Clean Air Zone’ in the city centre and are encouraging as many families as possible to walk to school. We have declared a climate emergency and all have to change the way we do things.”
Each new CNG-fuelled wagon will cover more than 150,000 miles per year and has a Mercedes-Benz Econic chassis with a Faun Zoeller Variopress body and a load capacity of up to 10.5 tonnes. Liverpool Streetscene Services (LSSL), a subsidiary of Liverpool City Council, has invested £3.4 million (€4.04 million) in the new fleet. A CNG fuelling station has also been installed at LSSL’s refuse collection depot.
According to a report by the Liverpool Express, the purchase follows the recent announcement that Liverpool is on track to meet its climate change targets three years ahead of schedule. The city has achieved an 18% reduction in carbon emissions since 2012 and is on course to reach 35% by the end of 2020.
“This investment in a new fleet of refuse vehicles is a great statement of intent in our goal to make Liverpool a cleaner and greener city,” said Liverpool’s mayor Joe Anderson.
“The council inherited a tired and run-down fleet that was inefficient, unreliable and costly. Having a brand new refuse fleet that is bigger, more efficient and safer gives our collection teams the right tools to ensure residents receive a more reliable service. However, we still need residents to take action by reducing, reusing and recycling their waste to enable us to hit our targets and reduce the costs to them.”
Stewart Gregory, commercial director at Faun Zoeller, said: “Liverpool City Council and Liverpool Street Scene Services are a valued client to Faun Zoeller. We have enjoyed an excellent relationship with the team at Liverpool over a number of years, and to have been able to assist in the integration of CNG into the fleet has been a valuable experience.
“It is great to work with such forward thinking local authorities, and we are already in discussions with options for the future, including our Bluepower hydrogen-powered vehicles. Collectively, we are now in a position to advise our clients who are looking at alternative fuels to diesel.”
Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for the environment and sustainability, councillor Laura Robertson-Collins, added: “It is vital that we improve the air quality across our city. As a council, we will do all we can to move away from the use of diesel and other fuels that compromise health within our own vehicle fleet.
“We are currently looking at a possible ‘Clean Air Zone’ in the city centre and are encouraging as many families as possible to walk to school. We have declared a climate emergency and all have to change the way we do things.”
