Welsh councils spent nearly £12 million on electric refuse trucks and charging kit since 2021
By Eve
Freedom of Information data obtained by the TaxPayers' Alliance show that Welsh local authorities invested at least £11.9 million in electric bin lorries, charging infrastructure, warranties and maintenance between 2021 and 2026. Cardiff council led spending with over £5 million on 12 vehicles plus £740,000 on charging technology, while Denbighshire spent more than £1 million on two lorries and associated kit. The figures, reported by the Daily Express, emerge as Wakefield council scrapped its electric refuse fleet trial after a year of charging faults and concerns the vehicles were unsuitable for stop and start urban collection routes.
Why it matters: The spending highlights both the scale of depot charging investment required for heavy commercial fleets and growing operational questions around electric refuse vehicles in demanding duty cycles. Wales already has the UK's sparsest public charging network at one charger per 3.69 miles of road, raising broader infrastructure and cost concerns for fleet electrification across the region.