Set to deliver significant benefits for the Palmerston community, along with eye-catching designs and educational messaging to help encourage recycling, City of Palmerston’s new fleet of residential waste collection trucks were revealed today. 

Following an open tender process earlier this year, Council awarded Cleanaway with an eight-year contract to provide domestic kerbside waste and recycling services for Palmerston. As part of this contract five replacement trucks were issued for the City. This follows a reduction in waste service charges, meaning that due to operational efficiencies, ratepayers saw a $20 decrease for the second consecutive year.

The Australian-made trucks feature innovative on-board tracking technology that will provide a greater level of customer service, with GPS information accessible in real-time to resolve resident concerns in a single call. They also have the ability to report damaged bins without the resident needing to lodge the issue.

External design features have been created to resonate with locals and fit the Territory Lifestyle; they include a barramundi, magpie geese, goanna, turtle and mud crab.

City of Palmerston Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell said “Council’s commitment is to ensure we aim for best practice, take every opportunity to improve our service delivery and pursue cost savings for ratepayers. Reducing contamination of recycle bins is also a focus, with a view to use education to improve our recycling. The new trucks provide this and help achieve more sustainable waste management practices.”

“Our residents care about the environment and their impact on it; the new trucks presented a great opportunity to further educate and remind people about the how they can make a difference,” Mayor Pascoe-Bell added. 

Cleanaway Branch Manager Mark Anderton said “The waste collection trucks always attract attention; residents enjoy watching them and they present a great opportunity for messaging. We haven’t seen the waste and recycling messages displayed to this scale anywhere else in the country”.

The new trucks will be on Palmerston roads from Monday 18 November, with no changes to current collection services and schedules.