Electric waste truck to service University of Otago

An electric truck will soon be servicing the University of Otago saving about 125 litres of diesel a day.

As part of a sustainability partnership with Waste Management, the e-truck will collect cardboard and other recycling around the campus.

It will be the first fully electric, rear load operating commercial waste truck in Dunedin.

University of Otago property services division director Dean Macaulay says it’s part of a strategic goal to reduce by 50% waste to landfill by 2022.

Waste Management South Island general manager Gareth James says his team is working closely with the university on sustainability initiatives.

This includes Waste Management employing a dedicated waste minimisation coordinator to work on campus and put in place processes to limit waste and increase recycling.

“Our relationship with the university is a real partnership. It’s not just about collecting and disposing of waste. We are actively looking at ways to minimise the university’s waste and reduce its carbon footprint.

“The new electric collections truck is part of that,” he says.

University of Otago head of sustainability Ray O’Brien sees this as “another great example of the progress we can make when we commit to working on sustainability with partners in our supply chain”.

The rear load EV joins Waste Management’s growing fleet of electric vehicles. The company currently has 11 EV trucks, with 7 more in the process of being converted, as well as 100 electric cars and light vehicles.

The truck was converted to electric at Waste Management’s EV Innovation Hub in Auckland.