New bin lorries for the Boro
They're costing around £2M
A new fleet of bin lorries costing £2m are to start collecting rubbish from the streets and replace wagons which suffered a spate of breakdowns.
The refuse collection wagons are to start their rounds across Middlesbrough. They will replace the existing fleet which is nearing the end of its serviceable after more than seven years on the road and started to be hit with mechanical problems, leading to a pause in green waste collections in August.
Five brand-new Dennis Eagle wagons – costing around £250,000 each – have arrived at Middlesbrough Council’s Resolution House depot on Cargo Fleet Lane, with a further three due for delivery in the coming weeks. The vehicles were acquired following a successful tender by Billingham-based Bell Truck and Van as part of the council’s fleet replacement programme.
They will be used across the town’s waste and recycling service, with four of the new wagons fitted with electric bin lifts, reducing noise and carbon emissions. Middlesbrough mayor Chris Cooke, who visited the depot to see the new arrivals and find out more about how they will be used, said: “Modern refuse collection wagons are highly sophisticated pieces of machinery that carry out a task we all take for granted, day in, day out over a number of years.
“Our existing fleet was at the end of its life, so I’m delighted to see state-of- the-art replacements ready to take their place. It’s the kind of long-term investment that helps us deliver a first class service across the town, and one which I know residents value.”
Green and garden waste collections were suspended for a week in August following multiple breakdowns with collection vehicles. The council apologised for any inconvenience because of the pause “due to circumstances beyond our control” and thanked residents for their patience.
The collections resumed in September and have made their annual change to a monthly collection, with households receiving one collection a month in October and November. Calendars can be viewed online.