Energy and sustainability company Veolia Australia and New Zealand is trialling a new electric powered garbage collection truck in Canberra.
Nicknamed ‘The Green Machine’, it will take part in a trial in a partnership with Volvo to help turn its fleet of 2700 trucks electric.
The truck has already been on local Canberra roads since mid-January, and the company says it will continue to remain in service throughout February as well.
Veolia’s COO of waste Tony Roderick says the bright green design is intentional, making the truck and its sustainable goals impossible to miss.
“The livery is very much a statement about our future being low emissions and electric, not just for Veolia and rubbish collection but for every part of the economy in Australia’s sustainable future,” he says.
“This first EV purchase is going to be crucial to our Canberra operations. We’ll be looking to get the most data we can from the trial of the Green Machine, testing its performance to ensure we understand the benefits of EV vehicles in our fleet and to know what changes we need to make to bring them into our business.
“The Canberra trial is just one part of Veolia’s mission of ecological transformation to achieve a sustainable future. We are constantly on the lookout in every part of our business to reduce carbon emissions.”
The Green Machine trial is just one part of Veolia’s decarbonisation project, which also includes the use of solar power to offset the company’s energy consumption right across its operations, and EV charging stations at three of its facilities.
Roderick says the company is planning to roll out at least 20 more stations across the country by early 2024.
“So often, we get a sense that big changes are coming when they touch close to home and for Canberrans this will be more true than ever,” he says.
“There are fewer things closer to where you live than your early morning garbage collection.
“This may seem a small step as we move towards a sustainable, low emissions future, but it is yet another sign that Veolia and Canberra residents continue to lead the way in changing the world for the better.”