Posted on: Monday 23 January 2023
Torfaen Council’s new recycling fleet is now in operation as part of a multi-million pound investment in the borough’s waste and recycling service.
The Council has invested £2,793,864 in 19 new vehicles which are able to collect a wider range of recycling materials at the kerbside.
The new trucks are fitted with 360-degree cameras to help with customer enquiries and staff training.
In the future these vehicles will also have in-cab technology which will send crews real time information, such as where recycling has been missed or emergency road closures that could affect collection rounds.
Rachel Jowitt, Strategic Director for Economy and Environment, said: “We received the first two vehicles in October last year and we are delighted to now have all 19 in service. We would like to thank residents for their patience while we have been waiting to replace our ageing fleet.
“The new trucks will improve the reliability of our service and we are also investing in staff training and development to improve the overall quality of our service.”
Staff are being given additional training in areas such as team leadership and health and safety, and team leaders will be made recognisable for residents to direct any questions to. Team leaders will be in orange uniforms, and team members will be in yellow.
The new vehicles will play a pivotal role in increasing the amount of waste recycled in Torfaen.
Currently 63 per cent of rubbish in Torfaen is recycled but the Welsh Government wants all local authorities in Wales to recycle 70 per cent of rubbish by 2025.
Increasing recycling rates is just one of the ways Torfaen Council is committed to helping to tackle climate change. Using recycled material produces fewer carbon emissions than creating new material such as metal or plastics.
Last year, thanks to Welsh Government funding the Council also invested £893,000 in two new electric waste lorries to help reduce carbon emissions.
Find out more about the Council’s climate change and nature emergency declaration.
Find out what you can recycle in Torfaen on our website.
The winners of a competition to name some of the new recycling trucks have been announced. You can read more here.