Westminster rolls out new fleet of litter-picker gritters

Westminster Council is set to save £300,000 a year in petrol costs while also curbing carbon emissions, after buying 70 new street-cleaning trucks that can double up as winter weather gritters.

The council today confirmed it has joined Belfast City Council and Taunton Deane Borough Council in using the Hako Citymaster street-cleaning machine, which uses an attachment to switch between cleaning kerbs and pumping out grit.

Westminster hopes the vehicles, alongside a new fleet of rubbish disposal vehicles and smaller pavement patrollers, will be able to collect the 35 million bags of waste generated in the borough every year, while producing less noise and lower levels of CO2 emissions than previous vehicles.

The council estimates the waste vehicles will save more than eight tonnes of CO2 per year, and fuel savings will exceed 30 per cent compared to the previous fleet.

Councillor Ed Argar, Westminster City Council cabinet member for city management, said the vehicles are designed to give residents and businesses better value for money.

"Keeping the city clean remains a key priority for Westminster," he said. "Our new fleet is a great symbol of the investment we are making to keep our city clean – reducing noise and helping the environment in the process, without spending more money: a win-win situation."