New vehicles give Harefield Civic Amenity Site efficiency upgrade

Cllr Eddie Lavery, Hillingdon Council's Cabinet Member for Community and Environment, visited the site last week to see the first-hand the new equipment in action and witness how it has overhauled the speed, efficiency and carbon impact of the site's operations.

The three new vehicles, which include two new loading shovels and a new materials handler, will enable the site in New Year's Green Lane to reduce waiting times and decrease the numbers of lorry journeys, improving efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.

The Develon DL420 shovels are tractor-like vehicles with larger buckets which scoop and funnel dry recyclables into the site's various holding containers. With bigger buckets they take fewer loads to fill each lorry, reducing loading and waiting times for hauliers taking the materials onwards for recycling. 

The new materials handler, a Develon DX230, compacts waste into containers and is also used for loading waste, such as mattresses or green waste. It has more powerful rams, allowing it to compact the waste into containers more effectively, reducing the number of loads required, and, in turn, lowering the carbon footprint of the site. 

Another service launched at the site this month, is the introduction of Podback, a coffee pod recycling service where residents can recycle used plastic or aluminium pods from most of the main manufacturers.

Cllr Lavery said: "We're continuing in our drive to create a greener future, and by making relatively small changes like this we can have a larger impact in the long-term.

"By making the site's operations more economical and efficient, it in turn reduces the overall carbon footprint of the amenity site which is a good example of how we're transforming services for the better.

"The introduction of the Podback bank as the first dedicated point in the borough for recycling coffee pods is another brilliant addition to the site's comprehensive offer."

Find out more about our waste and recycling centres at www.hillingdon.gov.uk/waste-and-recycling-centres.