SEVENTEEN new bin lorries will soon hit the streets of Southampton after civic chiefs agreed to spend £2.9 million replacing its fleet.

The new vehicles will be an upgrade on the current lorries being used to collect waste and refuge across the city, with cleaner engines which meet Euro 6 emission standards.

Council officers say the new vehicles will not only maintain “efficient and quality waste collections”, but will also “make a contribution to air quality improvements” in Southampton.

 

Southampton City Council’s current fleet were bought in 2013, which are now “nearing end of life”

The purchase will be wholly funded by the authority, with no cash coming from grants.

Transport boss, Councillor Jacqui Rayment, said: “These new vehicles will replace existing older vehicles that are approaching the end of their usable life and are no longer cost effective to maintain. There is an increasing number of instances when older fleet vehicles are off the road and this downtime has an effect on the collection service we provide to residents. These new vehicles will minimise this disruption.

“Just as importantly, it will ensure that the council’s heavy goods vehicles all comply with the latest emission standards and help to contribute to cleaner air in the city.”

Alternative suggestions, such as hiring the vehicles instead of buying – which would cost £900 per week, per vehicle, were turned down as it was a “significantly more expensive way of running the fleet”.

Retrofitting the current vehicles with new kit to bring them in line with today’s emission standards, was another suggestion that was turned down. This was because, although the fleet would now be at Euro 6 standards, it would not tackle the “wear and tear” of the vehicles’ bodies, lifters and compaction equipment.