Lewisham Council have introduced a new fleet of recycling trucks which have a 50% reduction in Nox (nitrogen oxide) pollution.
The 25 replacement trucks are engine rated for emissions at Euro 6, which complies with the London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) which comes into force this year.
These new trucks have replaced the old Euro 5 engine vehicles, the main difference between Euro 5 and Euro 6 is the 50% reduction is Nox emissions. Nitrogen Oxide is a pollutant which has a direct (respiratory) and indirect (it can react in the atmosphere and cause smog/ acid rain) effect on human health.
Lewisham Council strive to recycle as much resident waste as possible. In 2019, the council held a public consultation (barriers to disposing of waste), where residents raised the number of areas that needed to be improved. From these consultations the council have:
- produced a new leaflet that details the many different ways in which residents can dispose of their waste, and provides a comprehensive list on what can be put in their recycling bin
- re-designed council trucks with new banners, with a clear message of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’
- worked on a ‘Waste and Recycling A-Z’, which will allow residents to search on how to dispose of an item
- worked on new stickers to be put on bins around the borough, providing residents with a quick glance on whether or not they are using their bins correctly.
Cllr McGeevor said: “Despite the year we have just had, we’re delighted that Lewisham Council’s recycling efforts remain consistent and the level of contamination has not increased – this is a huge credit to the residents of Lewisham for recycling properly.
This new fleet of trucks is fully compliant with London’s new ULEZ and will help contribute to the reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions in the borough.”