£2m new bin lorries fleet ready to set out

TEN new waste vehicles will be added to a council’s fleet next month.

Rutland County Council said its £2 million investment will provide eight 26-tonne vehicles and two 18-tonne split body refuse vehicles, all fitted with improved in-cab technology.

This will, the council said, make significant improvements to the service, including fewer vehicle breakdowns, a reduction in carbon emission and better working conditions for crews.

Bin routes have also been reviewed with contractor Biffa.

This will mean a change to collection days for about 4,000 residents from April.

Letters have been sent to every affected household.

There will be no changes to Rutland’s green waste collection service.

Anyone who is registered with the council for an assisted bin collection will continue to receive this service as normal.

Councillor Christine Wise, cabinet member for transport, environment and communities, said: “It’s clear our waste and recycling service has needed major investment for some time.

“The impact of having an aged fleet of collection vehicles is being felt by residents on a weekly basis, with breakdowns becoming more frequent, making it incredibly difficult for us to complete rounds as scheduled on a regular basis.

“We’ve been working hard to address these issues since coming into office last year and we’re extremely pleased to have reached the point where we can now replace our entire waste collection fleet, as well as rolling out a more efficient set of bin collection routes.

“We’re confident this latest investment will significantly improve our waste and recycling service.

“But there is still more to do, particularly when it comes to implementing changes to national legislation that may affect how waste and recycling collections are carried out in the next two or three years.”