Bord na Móna Recycling has recently trialled the first in a new fleet of zero-emission eRCVs (electric refuse collection vehicles) as part of its ongoing commitment to provide sustainable solutions across all waste collection and processing services.
Waste collected from our domestic and commercial customers could soon be powering a fleet of zero-emission electric bin trucks, as Bord na Móna Recycling trialed the first fully electric refuse collection vehicle (eRCV) in Ireland this week.
Bord na Móna Recycling collects over 450,000 tonnes of waste annually from over 135,500 customers across Ireland. Via long-term agreements with major Irish Energy-from-Waste plants, electricity generated from non-recyclable (general refuse) waste will power the eRCVs, resulting in a sustainable ‘closed-loop’ system where the waste collected is ultimately converted to the same electricity that powers the refuse trucks themselves.
Ciaran Brady, Head of Resource Recovery at AES, commented:
“The move to electric-powered waste collection forms part of the ongoing commitment by Bord na Móna Recycling to deliver the most environmentally conscious waste collection and processing services possible. Not only do electric RCVs reduce carbon emissions and contribute to our sustainability goals, but they are also quieter and cleaner to run, thereby benefitting the urban environments in which they will operate.
“Delivering considered and sustainable waste solutions is a core principle for AES, and this announcement is the latest step in delivering on this promise. For example, we have successfully partnered with an anaerobic digestion plant in the Midlands to convert food waste into electricity, heat, and natural agricultural fertiliser. Last month, we completed a major upgrade of Materials Recovery Facility that processes the recyclables we collect. This upgrade significantly improves our recovery yield and purity from recycling waste, while allowing flexibility to respond to changing inbound material composition as volumes of paper within our recycling waste decrease. We consider waste collection holistically and ecologically, ensuring the maximum benefit is extracted from it as much as possible for the benefit of the environment.”
AES’s latest initiative on electric vehicles compliments the larger Bord na Móna direction towards renewable energy and resource recovery initiatives. With involvement in five wind farms, biogas, biomass, waste and tyre recycling, Bord na Móna continues apace on its path of decarbonisation.
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