As a country, our environmental consciousness has increased dramatically over the past few years. We are committed to cleaning up our countryside and waterways and recycling wherever possible. The images of waste floating in our seas have made us sit up and pay attention – but what about the pollution that we can’t see? Public Health England estimates that the health and social care costs of air pollution in England could reach £5.3 billion by 2035 unless action is taken. With the Welsh Government announcing the new Clean Air Plan for Wales in December, improving air quality is at the top of the current political and environmental agenda.
There has been much in the news over the past few years about the merits of petrol versus diesel cars, and you may have questioned which is the right option for your own vehicles. There are so many things to consider, and the same applies for our HGV vehicles here at DCW. Our mission is to help businesses become greener through recycling and proper waste management, and we also strive to go above and beyond for the environment as a company too.
Many of us are making changes to do our bit to reduce our carbon footprint. With pressure to improve urban air quality increasing, there is a renewed onus on companies to take steps towards making their services greener. Transport accounts for 23% of the UK’s CO2 emissions, with HGV’s contributing around 19% of that sum [BBC]. Diesel emissions are a particularly hot topic, especially in London with a new, increased congestion charge of up to £200 a day for more polluting HGV’s in Low Emission Zones.
Here at DCW, we already have a modern fleet of HGV vehicles, but we are always aiming to reduce the negative impact we have on the environment. While we are busy collecting recycling and helping our clients to do their bit for the planet, we want to ensure we are doing this in the most eco-friendly way possible. This summer, we took delivery of five new low emission Euro 6 rated waste collection vehicles, to cover our busiest rounds in Exeter and some areas of Cornwall. This represents an investment of nearly £600,000, which demonstrates our drive to exceed legislation requirements and contribute to improving the emissions rates in the cities we serve.
As well as the reduction in exhaust fumes, another benefit of Euro 6 rated HGV vehicles is that they are much quieter. Therefore, noise pollution is also greatly reduced – making these vehicles ideal for our more densely populated routes.
While we are always looking for innovative ways to improve the quality of our recycling, we also want to do our bit to improve our cities air quality, by making our daily operations cleaner and greener.
Have you seen our trucks out and about? We’d love to see your pictures – share them on Facebook @dcwltd or email sales@dcw.co.uk.
To find out more about our waste collection and recycling services, please call the team on 01392 537126 or email sales@dcw.co.uk.