Waste collection delays following vehicle fleet issues

Parts of Reading are expected to see some disruption with waste collections over the coming days due to electrical faults with a large number of fleet vehicles.

Reading Borough Council has taken the precautionary decision to temporarily stand down the impacted electric vehicles while investigations are carried out. Fixes are being worked on which should make more vehicles available Friday and Saturday.

Vehicles from the Council’s spare diesel fleet have also been deployed to minimise the impact on services, and missed collections are expected to be made this Saturday (29 August).

Reading introduced Berkshire’s first electric waste vehicle in 2021 and has since expanded its electric fleet to 13 vehicles, as part of its Council Carbon Plan 2020-25.

However, the Council recognises that while there are significant environmental benefits to an electric fleet, being an early adopter of the carbon conscious vehicles brings with it some issues with first generation technology.

The manufacturer of the Council’s electric waste vehicles is engaged in search of a solution to the ongoing issues in respect of both immediate fixes and long-term solutions.

Cllr Liz Terry, Leader of Reading Borough Council, said:

"I understand residents’ discontent when there is a delay to waste services. While I support services to become more environmentally conscious, the repeated issues caused by the vehicles is unacceptable.

“The Council is working closely with the manufacturer to address the issues with the electric fleet to improve reliability and the effectiveness of our service first.

“I would like to thank residents for their patience and understanding while we resolve the issue."