Greater Shepparton has regional Australia’s only electric garbage truck.
Foott has partnered with Victorian truck dealership CMV Truck and Bus and truck manufacturer Volvo to trial a Volvo FE battery electric rear loader truck in the region over the next few weeks.
The model is being trialled in metropolitan areas nationwide, but the Shepparton trial is a regional first.
The truck is one of about 25,000 models in existence and was imported from Europe.
Foott chief executive officer Andrew Yeoland said it was an excellent opportunity to continue innovating, bringing both Greater Shepparton and Foott closer to the future of transport and waste management.
“We’ve always been about embracing the latest technologies and innovation, and this is just another step in doing that,” Mr Yeoland said.
“The second thing for us is ensuring we reduce our environmental footprint.
“The third thing is relationships.
“We have a long partnership we’ve been building with Volvo and CMV, and trialling this in a regional-first, here in Greater Shepparton, wouldn’t have happened without those relationships.”
The announcement comes after Foott was awarded the contract to undertake bin collection services for all forms of kerbside waste in Greater Shepparton.
Foott was also successful in its tender for bulk transport services, including waste transportation to its correct facility.
CMV Shepparton branch manager Brody Gray said the trial would go on for a few more weeks before all the data would be collected from the truck.
He said Europe has had electric trucks for about 10 years, but Australia’s conditions are very different, and a regional town’s needs differ significantly from a city’s.
From the data and information collected, CMV can design electric trucks that will cater to the conditions and needs of the country’s regional and metropolitan parts.
Mr Gray said Foott Waste and Greater Shepparton could play a part in shaping Australia’s future of waste vehicles.
“CMV has been in Shepparton with our dealership coming up three years next week,” he said.
“We’ve been in the area working with Foott Waste for 15-plus years.
“I still remember about two years ago, one of my first big customer experiences was with Pete (Peter Foott).
“I was in awe of Pete’s vision for the future.
“He was adamant that electric is where we were going to go, and he wanted to know how he could be a part of it, and he wanted to be the first in the country.”
Foott director Peter Foott said he’d already been out and about emptying bins with the state-of-the-art truck.
“What makes me sure it’s the future?” Mr Foott said.
“I mean, look at it, it’s the future.
“It’s very smooth, practically silent.
“You think waste is very boring, but it’s gotten extremely high-tech in recent years, and we want to keep innovating and see what’s possible.”
On Tuesday morning, April 9, representatives from Greater Shepparton City Council, Foott Waste Solutions, CMV Truck and Bus, Volvo and MPs for Greater Shepparton gathered at Foott Waste to check out the only electric truck operating in regional Australia.
Some even took the truck for a test drive.
So, if you notice your bins have seemingly been emptied by a ghost, without the usual ruckus, you may have just had your garbage collected by the future.