New “Binosaurus Rex” EV bin lorry first in Kent

Local Democracy Reporter Ollie Leader went down to Maidstone to find out more.

Transcript

00:00Meet the Binnasaurus Rex, the carbon-friendly apex predator of Maidstone's waste collection,

00:14silently moving through the undergrowth of Mopark.

00:18You know, we want the children to think about recycling, thinking about litter.

00:23They see this driving along, they're excited and if we can get them excited about recycling,

00:28excited about using litter bins, then we're doing our job because we're keeping the the waste from

00:34being sent for disposal, we're keeping stuff from being dropped on the floor. You know, these parks

00:38are beautiful, we don't want litter. The Binnasaurus Rex is an expensive beast, it costs the council

00:43around £170,000 but because it's a herbivore, because it doesn't guzzle those fossil fuels every

00:52other bin lorry does here in Kent. It also makes it cost effective and potentially the future for

01:00waste collection here in Maidstone. I'm sure that people want to reduce their council tax, so

01:08this is more expensive to buy, but over the lifetime of a refuge vehicle, it can be 20 years,

01:14we will definitely save money. I mean 300 litres of diesel a day we're not using, that's a lot of diesel.

01:20But what difference does any of this make behind the wheel? Can you hear that? There's absolutely no

01:29roar on the Binnasaurus Rex as it's trundling along here in Mo Park. That's because it's all electric,

01:37so it won't be keeping you up in the morning as it's collecting your street waste. That's right,

01:43yeah, they'll be amazed because by the time they keep the collection, we'll be in and out without

01:50them noticing we're there. But do passers-by believe the new addition is a dino-soaring success?

01:59Fantastic. Good fun. Brightens up, you know, your day when you see something like that. Let's hope

02:05people are attracted by it and take notice of it. I like the design, but I'm anti-electric.

02:12Maidstone Borough Council's 2013 net zero target means many of the existing diesel lorries

02:20are heading for extinction. Love it or hate it, the Binnasaurus is here to stay.

02:27Olly Leader in Moat Park.