Eight new refuse collection vehicles are joining Southampton City Council’s waste fleet this week, helping to improve the reliability of collections for local people across the city.

The vehicles will replace some of the council’s oldest and most costly waste collection vehicles and are expected to come into use from today Thursday, 1 October 2026.

The new arrivals are an important step towards tackling the challenges caused by an ageing fleet. They will provide more dependable vehicles for collection crews and help reduce the disruption and additional maintenance pressures associated with older vehicles.

The eight vehicles form part of the council’s wider £37.6 million investment in new vehicles to support its services, which will see vehicles across the council’s fleet replaced over the coming years.

Councillor John Savage, Cabinet Member for Environment and Net Zero, said: “This is really positive news for residents. Reliable vehicles are absolutely essential to delivering the waste and recycling service people rightly expect, and these eight vehicles are an important step forward.

“We know our ageing fleet has created challenges, so I’m pleased local people will start to see these new vehicles out on Southampton’s streets. This is part of a much wider programme of investment to build a more reliable and resilient fleet for the future.

“This investment is also about the kind of city we want Southampton to be. Building a greener Southampton is one of our key ambitions, and investing in a modern, more efficient council fleet is an important part of that. As we replace ageing vehicles across our services, we have an opportunity to make our fleet more sustainable while giving residents a more reliable service.”

The new vehicles are expected to be more efficient and have lower emissions than the older vehicles they are replacing. Alongside improving the reliability of the waste collection service, introducing newer, more efficient vehicles will help reduce the environmental impact of the council’s fleet and make a positive contribution towards the council’s wider net zero ambitions.