UK waste operator completes retrofit waste truck trials

Here is an interesting truck aftermarket success story. UK waste operator Veolia has successfully trialled the first retrofit system for refuse collection vehicles to be approved under their Britain’s ‘Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme’ (CVRAS).

The CVRAS is a certification scheme for manufacturers of retrofit emissions reduction technology that will enable Clean Air Zone (CAZ) compliance of legacy fleet vehicles, enabling older vehicles to reach the Euro 6 emissions standards required by London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone and prospective national clean air zones.

Working in partnership with Westminster City Council and retrofit firm Eminox, Veolia has been operating two Euro 5 bin lorries fitted with the new technology in the capital and has reported a 99 per cent reduction in NOx levels as a result.

The system works by combining a diesel particulate filter with selective catalytic reduction technology in what Eminox describes as “an industry first” for the refuse sector. It is approved under the CVRAS for Euro 5 versions of the Dennis Eagle Elite with Volvo D7C 7-litre engine and the Mercedes Benz Econic 6.3-litre engine, both of which are popular waste collection vehicles across the UK.

Pascal Hauret, regional director for Veolia London, said: “As one of the UK’s largest fleet operators, we play a crucial role delivering cleaner air for London and across the UK. Veolia has been trialling low-emission vehicle technologies with industry leaders like Eminox since 2012, and we’re now ideally placed to support the shift to low emissions, improving air quality in Westminster and beyond”.

Eminox designed the technology after Westminster City Council committed to retrofitting its vehicles with the invention, should it be successfully accredited under the CVRAS.

The trial included lab testing as well as field testing on the two Westminster vehicles, which resulted in the technology receiving accreditation by Energy Saving Trust, which manages the CVRAS.

Veolia’s two Westminster City Council vehicles used in the trial will continue to run with the installed system, while the remainder of the fleet will be retrofitted by April 2019.