- Leeds City Council has introduced three electric refuse trucks, cutting 45 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year.
- The trucks will operate in high-pollution areas, supporting Leeds’ clean air strategy for 2030.
- They charge overnight at an eco-friendly depot and enhance quiet, efficient, and greener waste collection.
Leeds cuts 45 tonnes of CO₂ with new Mercedes-Benz electric refuse trucks
Leeds City Council has taken a big step toward greener waste collection. It has added three fully electric Mercedes-Benz eEconic refuse trucks to its fleet. These trucks will help reduce emissions, improve air quality, and lower noise levels in local communities.
Each electric truck will save 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, adding up to 45 tonnes annually. FAUN Zoeller UK supplied the vehicles and built on a Mercedes-Benz eEconic 300 chassis. They come with high-tech safety features, a 27-tonne capacity, and fast-charging batteries that can reach 80% in just 75 minutes.
John Woolmer, Chief Environmental Services Officer, commented:
“Leeds has chosen to be one of the pioneers driving forward the use of electric domestic refuse collection vehicles. Our three new fully electric RCV’s will be targeted to areas of the city that have the greatest air quality issues and where operating a cleaner, greener and quieter service will have the most impact.
Collecting domestic waste and recycling with these new electric trucks will mean that over 45 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions will be saved per year. This will contribute to the Leeds clean air strategy that aims to reduce air pollution from homes, industry, agriculture, and transport by 2030.
It is calculated that the council’s household waste management operations across Leeds already contribute an annual carbon saving of 30,000 tonnes and beginning the move of RCVs to electric will not only add to that but also help promote and show leadership for the city on this agenda.”
Leeds City Council operates 75 waste collection trucks and collects over 500,000 bins per week. It also runs the UK’s largest free garden waste collection service. Impressively, less than 0.2% of household waste in Leeds goes to landfill.
Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Executive Member for Communities, Housing and Environment, added:
“We are very excited to see the first all-electric bin wagons working in the streets and neighbourhoods of Leeds. In the same year we introduced glass recycling through our green bins, these brand-new vehicles are part of our journey to provide the cleanest, greenest and most efficient service we can for our residents.”
