There will be a glut in demand for 7.5t collection vehicles, as those Councils yet to implement a food waste collection, and waste contractors, seek to procure new fleets. As described in our previous article for LetsRecycle, whilst there are a range of vehicle options for collection of food waste, unless collected as part of a multi-stream collection, a small dedicated food waste collection vehicle usually presents the best option.

The supply chain is already quite stretched for waste collection vehicles, but fortunately there are a range of providers out there serving the UK market. There is a long list of manufacturers¹ providing 7.5t food waste vehicles based around three different chassis (variations FUSO Canter, DAF and the Isuzu), all operating on EURO6 standard diesel fuel, and with an option on the DAF chassis for electric conversion. There are alternate body arrangements and lifting / tipping systems applied in the various models.

Planning ahead for the vehicle requirement of a food waste collection requires consideration of the anticipated numbers of vehicles / crew and associated costs, combined with a procurement plan for containers, vehicles and downstream infrastructure (maintenance, tipping locations, food waste offtake contracts, associated permitting / planning issues). There is also a need for discussions and planning between the WDA and WCAs in two tier Council areas.

As with any substantial and potentially complex service change, starting early through a procurement plan, soft market testing and collection modelling will inform decision making. Frith Resource Management provide strategy, collection modelling and procurement support to Councils and Contractors, for more details see www.frithrm.com or contact info@frithrm.com

¹ We have nine on our current list (Feb 2023)