London and South East recycling company is to debut its electric vehicle waste collections this month Paper Round, a leading recycling company operating in London and the South East, has announced the launch of London's first fully electric vehicle (EV) recycling and waste collections as part of its plans to decarbonise by 2030. Both electric 26 tonne RCV and 7.5 tonne box trucks are to be deployed for waste collections in and around the capital, with the first trucks put into service in Purfleet, Essex, later this month. The company confirmed late last week that its Purfleet depot has also been upgraded to accommodate fast-charging infrastructure with the heavy-weight vehicles set to run on 100 per cent renewable power. Paper Round is not the first waste management firm to trial electric vehicle (EV) collection rounds in London, but its new fleet of trucks will be the first fully operational 100 per cent electric heavy waste vehicles collecting waste as part of a standard fleet, the firm said. Bill Swan, Paper Round managing director, said: "These additions to our fleet will form an essential part of our ongoing commitment to reducing our carbon footprint. They will also be contributing to London's journey to net zero by 2050 and to lowering other forms of air pollution such as nitrogen oxides. We've been running electric light vans and company cars for three years and we are excited to officially launch London's first heavy electric trucks." The electric RCVs, which have been repurposed from Paper Round's diesel vehicles, are expected to save around 50 tonnes of CO2 per year, according to the company, equivalent to the annual carbon footprint of around 10 people in the UK. The box truck could save around 19 tonnes of CO2 per year - approximately the annual carbon footprint of four people. Among the companies that will be serviced by the EVs are The Crown Estate, Derwent London, and Churchill Services. "We have a long-standing relationship with Paper Round and have been working closely with them and our Central London customers to consolidate waste and recycling collections," said Jane Wakiwaka, head of sustainability at The Crown Estate. "This is one of our initiatives, along with recent improvements to Regent Street's public realm, which helps improve air quality in the West End. Paper Round's investment in two fully electric and zero emission vehicles for collections supports these aspirations, and our wider ambitions to create a greener, cleaner and more sustainable West End." Justyna Tobolska, sustainability manager at Derwent, said: "We have been working with Paper Round for a number of years and they have always been very innovative. We are excited to see them upgrading to zero emissions vehicles, helping us to reach our own net-zero goals and we look forward to the electric trucks making collections from Derwent buildings."
