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When East Dorset District Council took delivery in 2001 of Britain’s first fleet of 6x4 Mercedes Econic refuse vehicles, it also marked itself out as a leader in the field of environmental truck operation.
Those first nine Econics were equipped with Euro 3 six-cylinder engines and – to further reduce particulate emissions – Eminox CRT exhaust systems. “We believe we now have the cleanest refuse fleet in Europe,” declared Lindsay Cass, the authority’s Head of Technical Services, at the time.
Now, seven years later, East Dorset District Council has replaced its first batch of Econics with nine new ones – and once again, its refuse trucks are among the cleanest on the road.
All 6x4 Econic 2629LL models, they boast Mercedes-Benz BlueTec® SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) engines that already meet super-tough Euro 5 EU emissions targets which do not even come into force until October 2009.
As a result, not only have its latest investments in the three-pointed star allowed East Dorset Council to trumpet its environmental credentials once again, they are also netting the authority a valuable cash windfall.
This is because their Euro 5 engines mean its new Econics qualify for Reduced Pollution Certificates that bring savings in Vehicle Excise Duty, annually for the life of each vehicle. The standard VED charge for a 26-tonne refuse truck of £650 a year is reduced for East Dorset to just £280, a saving of £370. This equates, for all nine vehicles over an anticipated service life of another seven years, to a total saving for East Dorset’s Council Tax payers of more than £23,000!
Like their predecessors, the new Econics were supplied by south coast Mercedes-Benz dealer Pentagon and are fitted with compactor bodies by Farid Municipal Vehicles, of Arundel. The council has also signed-up once again to a contract hire deal under which its refuse vehicles will be maintained at Pentagon’s 24-hour workshop in Poole; this time, though, it is working in partnership with Widnes-based Riverside Truck Rental, one of the UK’s leading commercial vehicle contract hire providers, which emerged victorious from the tender process.
The new deal with Riverside also includes two left-hand drive Mercedes Atego 1318LKO road sweepers with bodies by Johnston Sweepers, of Dorking, Surrey. But these are not the authority’s first 13.5-tonne Mercedes – it was already running six more, which are fitted with special stillage bodies and used primarily on a fortnightly kerbside recycling service covering ‘dry’ items such as paper, glass, cans and plastic bottles.
East Dorset Council provides refuse and cleaning services to some 38,500 homes to the north of Bournemouth and Poole. Two of its new Econics are equipped with Zöller split bin lifts and allocated to a ‘brown bin’ recycling scheme, under which they collect biodegradeable kitchen and garden waste, and cardboard, while three more have bar lifts for handling trade bins.
Says Lindsay Cass: “Some of these vehicles spend their days running in and out of our recycling centres and composting facilties, and rarely go off road. But we’ve specified them all with double-drive because it gives us greater flexibility, and means they can all be sent onto a landfill site if necessary.”
He continues: “Our first fleet of Mercedes Econics gave us seven years of very reliable service while we have also developed an excellent working relationship with the team at Pentagon’s Poole depot; the fact that they can maintain our vehicles overnight is very handy indeed.
“At 290hp, the engines on these new Econics are slightly more powerful than our last trucks. But the biggest improvements are in the cab, which has been greatly improved, a fact much appreciated by our crews.”
The Mercedes Econic features full air suspension, which contributes to quiet operation in residential areas, while its air-conditioned, low-entry cab can accommodate a driver and three crew in comfort. |
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