Grundon in UK first as it launches all-electric waste vehicle serving Reading and Newbury

Published by

Giles Gwinnett

Picture contributed

Grundon Waste Management has broken new ground - launching the first Scania all-electric commercial trade waste collection vehicle in the UK.

Delivered at a cost of £0.5 million, the vehicle will serve Reading and Newbury businesses and be based at Grundon’s operation at Beenham - between the two towns.

"We’re aiming to deliver a greener, cleaner collection fleet which is better for our drivers, our customers and the planet," said John Stephens, Grundon's general manager - logistics.

"This not only puts us in pole position as more and more towns and cities move towards adopting low emission zones; it is also a big step forward in helping local businesses to achieve their sustainability targets by reducing carbon emissions through net zero waste collections."

During 2023, the company has invested £5 million in its fleet as part of its commitment to achieve net zero.

Two repowered electric waste collection vehicles, which were converted from existing diesel vehicles, were unveiled this summer, while a third has recently been launched serving businesses in and around Oxford.

By the end of the year, a further two all-electric vehicles will join the fleet, taking the total to six, while a further investment of £6.5 million will see that figure at least doubled in 2024.

Alongside its investment in electric vehicles (EVs), Grundon is also embracing other alternative fuels, including hydrogen and Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).

For every tonne of non-recyclable waste collected by the EVs and deposited into an energy from waste (EfW) facility, around 620kW of power is generated.

Each all-electric vehicle collects an average of five tonnes of waste per round, which means the EfW is capable of generating 3,100kW of renewable energy per day, per vehicle.

Founded in 1929, Grundon is the UK’s largest family-owned supplier of integrated waste management and environmental services.

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Giles Gwinnett

Giles Gwinnett is a writer at The Business Magazine. He has been a journalist for more than 20 years and covered a vast array of topics at a range of media settings - in print and online. After his NCTJ newspaper training, he became a reporter in Hampshire before moving to a news agency in Gloucestershire. In recent years, he has been covering the financial markets along with company news for an investor-focused web portal. His many interests include politics, energy and the environment. He lives in Dorset.