Street cleaning vehicles that can double up as winter gritters are set to be unveiled in Westminster as part of a new fleet that will save the tax payer millions of pounds.

Service standards will increase and expenses will drop as a new fleet of rubbish disposal vehicles and smaller ‘pavement patrollers’ hit the capital, complete with fuel saving packs, improved engine management, GPS systems and quieter hydraulics.

The rubbish trucks are capable of achieving large fuel savings and, in turn, getting value for money for Westminster taxpayers, as well as being good for the environment. The new fleet has 70 trucks and, with each individual round taken into account, they will save more than £300,000 a year in fuel costs.

Thanks to new technology the fleet will also go about collecting the 35million bags of waste every year – enough to fill 700 Olympic swimming pools – with fewer noise disturbances and less impact on the green environment, as Co2 emissions are lower and hydraulic equipment is quieter.

The flagship London council is also one of the first authorities in the UK that will use Hako Citymaster street cleaning machines that can double up as pavement gritters during cold weather. With a simple attachment and flick of a switch they go from cleaning the streets to keeping them safe for pedestrians.

Cllr Ed Argar, Westminster City Council cabinet member for city management, said: “Westminster is constantly searching for ways to make sure residents and businesses are given the best value for money.

“Keeping the city clean remains a key priority for Westminster. Our new fleet is a great symbol of the investment we are making to keep our city clean – reducing noise and helping the environment in the process, without spending more money – a win-win situation.

“We want people to love their streets as much as I do, that is why we chose to put this new fleet on street just in time for Valentine’s Day.”

The council is currently running a campaign to urge people to take responsibility for their own actions when it comes to littering, to highlight the issue a three-foot replica of Marble Arch was built of litter collected from Oxford Street, Bond Street and St James’s Street. The campaign is called YourStreets – more info here http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/environment/yourstreets/

Veolia’s contract manager in Westminster, Scott Edgell, added: “As part of our ongoing commitment to providing the City of Westminster with the latest advancements in vehicle technology, we believe that our new fleet and equipment ticks all the right boxes and will deliver impressive savings on both fuel and carbon emissions.

“This will help us achieve cost savings for the Council, which is beneficial in these difficult economic times, as well as contribute towards a better environment for everyone that lives in, works in or visits Westminster.”

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