Sandwell Council has welcomed a fleet of new, innovative electric sweepers to its street cleansing operations as part of its commitment to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2041.

The Council’s environmental services partner, Serco, has introduced six hand-operated pedestrian sweepers and two mini road sweepers to its fleet.

The new vehicles are superior in terms of environmental impact in several ways, including improved air quality, reduced noise pollution and importantly, zero carbon dioxide emissions.

Each one of the six towns in Sandwell will have a hand operated Maxwind Electric Pedestrian Sweeper working in high footfall precinct areas. The units have an impressive run time of 10 to 12 hours and expel zero carbon emissions. A single charge typically costs between £3 and £4 and they are 90% recyclable at the end of their life.

The two Neo Max Mini Road Sweepers, which also have zero carbon emissions, will work to keep roads and pavements clean across the borough as part of a larger team of road sweepers.

They have a run time of 8 to 10 hours and a typical charge costs between £15 - £20, saving up to 90% on fuel costs in comparison to a non-electric counterpart. Sound emissions are reduced by 30% from traditional mini sweepers and they too are 90% recyclable at the end of their life. Councillor Zahoor Ahmed, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment Services said:

“The addition of the new electric sweepers to our cleaning operations is a huge boost to our commitment to achieving zero carbon emissions by 2041.

“We are also working to reduce emissions from transport by encouraging the use of electric vehicles and improving public transport infrastructure.”

Sandwell Council has committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2041 as part of its climate change strategy.

For further information about the Council’s climate change strategy, visit sandwell.gov.uk.