First Kerbloader EV goes to Neath Port Talbot

The single pass recycling vehicle, designed for segregated collections at source, has been widely used on a conventional diesel chassis for several years but this is the first time it has been sold on an electric chassis.

The council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Transport and Connectivity, Cllr Windham Griffiths, said: “The council has been actively developing a plan to transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

“Many of our staff move throughout the county borough to deliver vital services to our residents, (including recycling collections) and we are now starting to do it in a much greener and cleaner way. The transition towards EVs also ties in with the council’s Decarbonisation and Renewable Energy (DARE) strategy.

“We’ll also be looking for a couple of smaller vehicles too, as some of our routes have become significantly more difficult to navigate since the pandemic, with more home working and the subsequent increase in on-street parking that goes with it.

“These Kerbloaders will also help the council reach the Welsh Government’s Statutory Recycling target of 70% by 2024-2025, with their cardboard collecting and packing capacity being a big plus and our drivers have complimented its manoeuvrability.”

Neath Port Talbot runs a fleet of 22 recycling vehicles providing weekly collections of glass, cardboard, paper, plastic and cans, food and batteries. It will soon be using the electric-powered Kerbloader in a pilot scheme to collect waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

“Cllr Scott Jones, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Streetscene, said: “The council’s current recycling rate is 66% and while we are heading in the right direction, there is still work to be done.

“This is especially the case with food waste recycling as 33% of waste within our black bins/bags is food. We have recently had our waste strategy approved, which provides a number of measures to help achieve the Welsh Government’s upcoming 70% recycling target and beyond and these Kerbloader vehicles will help us achieve this goal.”

Terberg Matec UK's Managing Director, Will Marzano, said: “The diesel-powered Kerbloader has been tried and tested for some time and is now very popular with customers. But the electric version was put through extensive field trials last year and proved to be really impressive.

“Neath Port Talbot Council was the first to order and we’re getting very positive feedback from them. And there already are more orders in the pipeline from other local authorities.”