Forest of Dean District Council drives forward net zero plans with a new route map to decarbonise its vehicle fleet

The Council is speeding forward plans to become a net zero carbon local authority by 2030 by strengthening its ambitions to decarbonise its vehicle fleet, which includes waste, recycling, and street cleaning vehicles as well as street warden vans and pool cars used to undertake site visits and inspections. 

Two fully electric recycling vehicles have already been purchased by the Council and are scheduled to start to make cleaner, greener household waste collections in August.  

Under these new vehicle procurement plans, petrol or diesel fuel vehicles will be replaced when they reach the end of their lifespan with greener alternatives wherever feasible.  

Councillor Andy Moore, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Waste and Recycling, Forest of Dean District Council, said: “Trials with the new RQ-E Kerb-Sort Romaquip vehicles, which will be collecting recycling from the kerbside in the Forest of Dean from this summer, were reassuringly positive. Although the purchase cost is greater than a diesel lorry, they deliver significant savings over their lifetime and, most importantly, cut our greenhouse gas emissions, reduce air pollution and result in a healthier environment for our residents.  

“Our vehicle fleet accounts for 89% of the Council’s emissions and this new route map to decarbonisation looks at all Council vehicles, from the waste and recycling vehicles to grounds maintenance service vans and other cars used by staff, such as our environmental services and planning teams. Along with other environmental measures the Council has brought in over the past few years, including fitting solar photovoltaic panels to help power the Council’s Coleford offices and installing cavity wall insulation to reduce emissions, this strategy will ensure we can meet the ambitious target we’ve set ourselves as a Council to achieve net zero by 2030, ahead of the government’s UK target.” 

Forty-one vehicles are currently used to deliver the district’s waste and recycling service and in 2021-22 this fleet created 850 tonnes of C02e and travelled over half a million miles. Eight recycling vehicles are expected to need replacement in 2024/25 and electric alternatives will be considered, providing they can carry out the operations they are needed for with no reduction in service performance and reliability. The decision will be guided by performance data gathered from the two new Romaquip vehicles this year.  

The electric vehicle market is expected to evolve significantly over the next few years, especially for heavy goods vehicles, and in cases where a fully electric vehicle is not currently viable but may be in the future, short-term leasing of standard fuel vehicles will be chosen over investing in brand new ones. Alternative fuel options and converting existing vehicles will also form part of the route map.  

As well as looking at vehicle procurement, the Council is changing the way its vehicles are managed and will be handing full management responsibility to Ubico, a Council-owned company which is taking on the waste and recycling service from August and which currently provides grounds maintenance services for the Forest of Dean. As some vehicles are currently managed by the Council’s Property Services team, it was decided that having a dedicated Fleet Manager with oversight of all Council vehicles will lead to greater operational efficiency and deliver modest cost savings.