Decision details

Waste and Street Cleansing Vehicle Replacements: Moving to an ultra low emission fleet.

WBC Cabinet Member for Environmental Services:

I agree to this decision because:

The current refuse fleet is composed of some x133 vehicles including traditional HGV 'dust carts', ride on tractor/mowers, street cleaning 'scarabs', a variety of transit and micro vans and other vehicles. Of these, some x123 (92.4%) vehicles are fuelled by diesel.

The carbon emissions reporting referred to in JAW_008_22-23 Waste and Street Cleansing Vehicle Replacements: Moving to an ultra low emission fleet, has been compiled in-house by the carbon reduction team and is calculated based on the amount of fuel purchased to run these vehicles. The overwhelming majority of carbon emissions (41.1%) comes from this refuse fleet and moves to decarbonise wherever possible are urgently needed.

The Council's 2022 Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR) pp45-45, acknowledges that mortality associated with particulate air pollution within Adur District and Worthing Borough is 6%, a figure greater than the average for England (5.6 %).

Local authorities are expected to work towards reducing emissions and/or concentrations of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5µm or less. The move away from Diesel vehicles to alternatively fuelled vehicles is greatly welcomed and encouraged as part of this effort.

ADC Cabinet Member for the Environment & Leisure:

We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint wherever possible.

The purchase of these vehicles helps us to achieve this goal.

WBC Cabinet Member for Environmental Services:

The option to not replace the vehicles in the fleet was deemed inappropriate for the reasons set out in the report.

ADC Cabinet Member for the Environment & Leisure: It is clear that much of our existing fleet is reaching the end of its useful life.