An Oxfordshire company has launched its latest electric waste collection vehicle.

Based at Grundon Waste Management’s Ewelme headquarters near Wallingford, the vehicle is serving businesses in and around Oxford and the surrounding areas, collecting commercial waste.

The drive towards electric vehicles comes as part of Grundon’s annual £5m investment programme in a greener, cleaner fleet, part of its commitment to achieving net zero.

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Grundon chairman Neil Grundon said: “We are delighted to have launched our new EV in Oxfordshire, helping local businesses achieve their sustainability targets by reducing carbon emissions through net zero waste collections.

thisisoxfordshire: “With Oxford already having moved to a zero emission zone, this vehicle can serve customers both within the city and across the wider county without adding to their carbon footprint.”

For every tonne of non-recyclable waste collected and deposits at an Energy from Waste (EfW) facility, around 620kW of electricity is generated, the firm has said.

Given that each all-electric vehicle collects an average of five tonnes of waste per round, it means the EfW is capable of generating 3,100kW of energy per day, per vehicle.

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With 280kW set aside to recharge each vehicle, this still leaves a further 2,820kW of electricity for export to the National Grid on a daily basis – enough to power an average-sized house for a year.

This latest vehicle has been converted from diesel to electric in line with the successful introduction of the company’s first two repowered electric waste collection vehicles this summer.

Earlier this month, Grundon also unveiled the UK’s first purpose-built all-electric Scania commercial trade waste collection vehicle, which is now serving businesses in Reading and Newbury.

By the end of 2023, two more all-electric vehicles will join the fleet, taking the total to six.

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

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

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