New recycling fleet is right up your street

Cabinet member for environment and sustainability Councillor Wera Hobhouse presents the new fleet of recycling vehicles.

Rochdale Council has unveiled a brand new fleet of recycling vehicles which they believe will make the collection of recyclable waste much more efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly.

The investment of the new vehicles also means that all recyclable waste put out will be collected by one vehicle, instead of two as they are now, because the new vehicles have two compartments – one for mixed paper and cardboard and another for plastic bottles, tins and glass.

The launch of the new vehicles follows news from the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority that the council is sending the least amount of rubbish to landfill out of all the authorities in Greater Manchester.

Explaining the decision behind the purchase of the new recycling vehicles, Councillor Wera Hobhouse, cabinet member for environment and sustainability said: “By using one vehicle on recycling collection rounds instead of two, we can provide a much more cost-effective service that is also kinder to the environment.”

The move to use one recycling vehicle per round marks a significant step towards reducing the council’s carbon footprint. Towards the end of last year, it announced that it had joined forces with the Energy Saving Trust (EST) to help the authority reduce its CO2 emissions and save money on energy bills.

Dennis Pennill, Waste Services Manager for Rochdale Council added: “The vehicles themselves will complement our existing fleet and will replace some of our long-term hire vehicles. They will give us operational flexibility and will enhance our collection capacity well into the future.”

The council’s target is to recycle 50% of the borough’s waste by 2012.