An electric waste collection vehicle built from the ground up by Volvo Trucks has gone into service in the Toowoomba Region.
The truck took 12 months to manufacture and was trialled around the streets of Toowoomba during May, before being put into service last week by J.J. Richards as part of their renewed waste management contract with Toowoomba Regional Council.
Toowoomba Region Waste portfolio councillor, Melissa Taylor, said the new electric truck was a welcome addition to the J.J. Richards Toowoomba Region waste collection fleet.
“An electric vehicle in service collecting waste from around the Toowoomba Region is in direct alignment with council’s sustainability focus right across the organisation,” Taylor said.
“As part of the recently signed contract with J.J. Richards, Council required innovative solutions for waste collection. This solution reduces operational costs, increases flexibility in the service offered and is better for the environment.
“This vehicle, while achieving significant fuel and emission reductions, is also servicing parks and inner CBD sites that are difficult to access, which is a real win for the community.
“TRC (Toowoomba Region Council) strives to be innovative in all that we do and there’s no doubt an electric waste collection vehicle achieves that goal as part of the contract with J.J. Richards.”