DUDLEY Council has been trialling an upcycled electric vehicle for waste collection in parts of the Dudley borough.

The authority trialled the electric refuse vehicle on Monday (August 14) in Sedgley to test its capabilities and its suitability for refuse collections.

The vehicle is a previous diesel vehicle which has been upcycled to run on electricity, and the pilot is part of the authority’s commitment to invest in renewable energy.

Councillor Damian Corfield, the council's cabinet member for highways and environmental services, said: "It was great to see the electric vehicle in operation and we have learnt a lot about the capacity of such vehicles to manage the hilly terrain and busy roads of our borough.

"Our operations team now need to go away and consider how we could integrate such technology into the work we are doing and I am hopeful that it will eventually help us move towards further cutting our own carbon emissions."

Councillor Dr Rob Clinton, the authority's cabinet member for climate change, said the trial was "very successful" and he added: "It could pave the way for the eventual electrification of our fleet.

"Dudley Council is committed to looking at ways to be completely EV in the future and the upcycling of vehicles could play a major part in reaching our goal of being carbon neutral by 2030.”