Electric bin lorries to be introduced in Gwynedd to cut carbon emissions

Gwynedd Council will begin introducing electric vehicles to collect recycling materials following a successful grant application to the Welsh Government.
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It follows the trial of a similar vehicle earlier this year where council staff had the opportunity to use an electric vehicle for a short period.

Councillor Catrin Wager, Gwynedd Council’s cabinet member for highways and municipal matters, said: “As a council we are committed to tackling climate change, and part of this commitment is to introduce more electric vehicles into our fleet over the coming years.

“I am very pleased that the first electric vehicles will join the council’s recycling and waste collection fleet in the coming months and I am hopeful that more low carbon vehicles will follow.

“Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to see a similar electric vehicle being trialled here in Gwynedd and it’s clear that there is great potential to make further use of such vehicles over the coming years.

“The new vehicles will contribute to our goal of reducing carbon emissions. As I saw from the trial some months ago, these vehicles will be quieter as they travel through communities and can travel up to about 80 miles between charges.

“We will be assessing which areas of the county these electric vehicles will work best, as vehicles of different sizes operate in some communities depending on the geography of the areas.

“Although electric vehicles will be the first to arrive, we will continue to monitor developments in the field to see if there is potential to invest in hydrogen powered vehicles in the future that could be more suitable in some landscapes and areas of the county.”