Your chance to name one of Reading's electric collection vehicles
Reading residents are being given the chance to take part in a fun competition launched this week to coincide with the town’s Climate Change Festival.
The competition celebrates yet another milestone in the Council’s ongoing commitment to tackling the Climate Emergency, by offering the opportunity for residents to name our first five electric bin lorries, otherwise known as electric refuse collection vehicles (eRCVs).
Reading led the way in introducing Berkshire’s first electric bin lorry in 2021, and has since complemented that by increasing numbers to now five fully electric vehicles amongst its fleet.
Now it is time for residents to put their thinking caps on and come up with some original names for the trucks. The winning suggestions will be printed on the vehicles for all of Reading to see!
Local schoolchildren are being given the opportunity to name three of the electric bin lorries, with two trucks available for Reading’s adults to come up with clever (but clean!) names for.
Just go to the competition page on our website by Monday 26 June to enter your details and name suggestion. You can also visit the Council Waste & Recycling Stall at Reading Water Fest on Saturday 10 June and the East Reading Festival on Sunday 25 June to give your entry to the team in person.
The contest follows a successful competition last year to name Reading’s food waste trucks. You can now see Ricky Gerwaste, Waster Taster, the Bindalorian, Hungry Hippo, Trashosaurus and Bin Truck McBinFace on their rounds collecting food waste around the borough.
“Reading boasts the 4th largest cut in its carbon footprint of all 374 local authority areas in the UK, and I’m delighted that we continue to lead the way in making crucial changes to continue responding to the climate emergency. Our residents are really contributing to the cause by recycling more and engaging with food waste recycling, and now we want their help to name our expanding fleet of electric refuse vehicles that are doing such a good job of reducing vehicle emissions on Reading’s roads”.
Cllr Karen Rowland, Lead Member for Environmental Services & Community Safety
The switch from diesel to electric collection vehicles saves 32,200kg of greenhouse gas emissions, and the transition of the Council’s fleet from fossil fuel to electric, particularly our waste collection vehicles, is a key element of the Council’s Carbon Plan 2020-25. The competition launch heralds the beginning of the Reading Climate Festival, running from Saturday 10 June to Wednesday 21 June. It aims to inspire positive action on climate change and help residents, businesses, schools and community groups find out how to live more sustainably and make changes that will contribute towards Reading’s goal of being a net zero, climate resilient town. You can find out more about what is happening during the Climate Festival at www.readingcan.org.uk/festival.