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£1.65 million recycling wagons will save council cash

A Teesside council has splashed out £1.65m on a fleet of new recycling vehicles which will save cash in the long run.

Stockton Council secured funding from the Government’s Weekly Collection Support Scheme to pay for the eight new vehicles, which will save money as well as improve services.

The vehicles are designed so the Council can collect recyclable materials in a single visit rather than two separate runs, which will result in a reduction in carbon emissions of around 80,000kg per year.

The council say it’ll save around £500,000 annually, which will contribute to the savings it has to make to mitigate the impact of central Government budget reductions.

The council’s cabinet member for Environment and Housing, Councillor David Rose, said: “Savings like this are certainly welcomed at a time when the Council is facing £50m annual funding cuts from central Government and show that the Council is continuing to seek other ways of securing investment so we can protect services whilst also ensuring they are value for money.

“We know how much our residents value their weekly refuse collection and fortnightly recycling collection.

“I’m delighted that securing this Government funding means that despite the challenging financial times the Council is continuing to face, we can maintain this level of first-class service for at least the next seven years.

“Stockton Council is also continuing to do all it can to explore and develop innovative ways to reduce our Borough’s carbon footprint.”

Meanwhile, Stockton Council has also secured £220,000 so that it can continue to offer waste and recycling collections to hard to access properties such as those in rural areas of the Borough.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Martin Walker .