New report makes the case for replacing diesel powered refuse trucks with electric power

A new report, Ditching Diesel - A Cost-benefit Analysis of Electric Refuse Collection Vehicles, from UK environmental consultancy firm Eunomia, shows that switching the UK's fleet of diesel-powered refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) to electric trucks would have significant, multiple benefits including reducing UK greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 290 kilotonnes of CO₂ each year - the equivalent of recycling almost 16 billion plastic bottles. 

Eunomia says the transition would also eliminate associated exhaust fumes and save local authorities money in the long run. The new report comes at a time when hundreds of local authorities in the UK have declared a climate emergency and are looking for ways to reduce their carbon emissions. Many councils are also looking at how they can tackle harmful, and sometimes illegal, levels of air pollution within their constituencies, and all have limited budgets. Eunomia says this research suggests an eRCV rollout could help to address all these challenges.

According to Eunomia, it's clear from the ‘Ditching Diesel' report that a switch to electric trucks would reduce GHG emissions from burning diesel but the research also highlights how adopting eRCVs would improve air quality. Since eRCVs don't burn fuel directly, there are no exhaust fumes, leading to reduced emissions of harmful Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), and of particulate matter within communities. The GHG emissions savings will become greater as grid electricity decarbonises in the future. Authors point out that electric vehciles are also far quieter than diesel equivalents, reducing noise pollution and improving the working environment for collection crews and communities.

The cost benefit analysis in the report highlights that, although capital costs associated with eRCVs are greater than diesel vehicles and the relevant infrastructure would need to be established, this initial outlay is often justified by operational savings via lower running costs and the expenditure councils need to clean up the environmental damage caused by diesel vehicles. The research also highlights that funding and investment for ‘cleaner' operations is becoming available in many areas.

Tanguy Tomes, the report's author, said: "With RCVs visiting almost every street in Britain on a weekly basis, they are a significant part of our current carbon intense society. Local authorities are looking for ways that they can reduce their contribution to the climate crisis, and eliminating the huge amount of carbon released on a daily basis by diesel RCVs is a logical, and now financially viable, step. We hope that our research will help local authorities to build a solid business case for the urgent change that is required: with a reduction in greenhouse gases, harmful air emissions and noise, and with financial savings becoming more likely, the case for eRCVs is becoming compelling."

Researchers interviewed operators and manufacturers - from the UK and from further afield for this report - as well as reviewing existing operations and research. They also illustrate in detail where eRCVs are currently being deployed in eight countries around the world - including in some parts of the UK.