City council approved a £3.4m loan for Liverpool Streetscene Services to acquire 20 refuse vehicles and 10 new vehicle bin lifts to improve the collection and recycling of waste

The first wave of Liverpool’s first fully owned fleet of refuse vehicles has arrived to boost the city’s bid to meet new refuse and recycling targets.

Liverpool City Council approved a £3.4m loan for Liverpool Streetscene Services (LSSL) to acquire 20 refuse vehicles and 10 new vehicle bin lifts to improve the collection and recycling of household waste across the city.

The first 10 vehicles of the new fuel efficient fleet have now arrived with the second tranche to begin operations in October.

The vehicles will each be able to collect more than three tonnes of waste and are fitted with rear wheel drive and a faster and safer operating mechanisms, which will free up more than two hours a day for collections.

The new bin lifts will also make for a more efficient service allowing each vehicle to do 1,200 lifts a day compared to the current average of 925 – a 20% rise.

Providing a more effective refuse and recycling service the new fleet will help the city’s efforts to reach its target of recycling more than 55% of waste by 2020.

The capital loan – which does not affect the council’s annual budget – will be repaid over the next ten years by LSSL, which was established in 2016 when the city council brought cleansing and refuse operations back under its control.

Cllr Steve Munby, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods who is also a director of LSSL, said: “The council inherited a tired and run down fleet which was inefficient, unreliable and costly.

“Having a brand new refuse fleet that is bigger, faster and safer will give the collection teams the right tools to ensure residents receive a more reliable service.”