Small bin lorry trial targets hard-to-reach areas

The smaller vehicle would not replace the standard service, officials insisted

A mini-bin lorry crewed by just one person is to be trialled in a Nottinghamshire town.

It is designed to 'mop up' missed bins and service hard-to-reach, smaller areas in Mansfield, the district council said.

The 3.5 tonne vehicle also does not require the same level of staff training as the standard 26-tonne machine.

But officials rejected the idea these could be used to replace larger lorries, insisting a single machine would be used to support the wider service.

The vehicle features a side hoist, which raises and tips the bin into a cage-like container.

This in turn can be tipped up when the lorry reaches a waste centre.

The project was discussed at a council meeting on Tuesday according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It heard the vehicle does not require an HGV licence, which is the standard required for regular bin lorry drivers.

This would help address concerns a shortage of HGV drivers would "hamper the recruitment process", for bin services, documents presented said.

Missed bins

Jez Bannister, the council's waste and recycling manager, said: "We can use the lorry on difficult access roads, we anticipate we can get 30 bins in one go.

"We want to make sure the crews are trying to get to all the bins, I don't want there to be reasons to not collect bins."

Mr Bannister said the new vehicle could also support other service areas such as small food collections and glass collections in areas bigger lorries could not access previously.

A spokesman said: "This trial is not to replace operatives or regular bin rounds.

"It is for small, ad-hoc returns of missed bins."

The council said it expected to take delivery in March and would put it into service almost immediately.