Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 28th January (Europa Press) –
The Cabildo de Tenerife has commenced the upgrade of its vehicle fleet operating within the Environmental Complex of Tenerife (Arico) with an investment amounting to four million euros.
The fleet includes a total of 46 vehicles designated for various operations, aiming to enhance the efficiency of trucks, vans, and cars.
Throughout 2024, 17 vehicles have already been replaced, with plans for the remainder of the fleet to be updated subsequently.
The Minister of Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security, and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez, states in a release that the new vehicles are “significantly more efficient and safe, consume less fuel and emit fewer pollutants.”
In this regard, she emphasises, “we have established a progressive plan to maintain a modern, agile, and efficient fleet that meets the operational requirements of the environmental complex.”
Pérez also highlights that “20 trucks transport an average of 1,600 tonnes of waste daily across multiple trips to the Environmental Complex of Tenerife from transfer plants, which involved managing approximately 535,000 tonnes in 2024 for proper handling. For this reason, it is crucial to have as efficient a fleet of vehicles as possible.”
In this context, the cumulative operations undertaken by the vehicle fleet require over three million kilometres annually, figures essential for understanding the waste management efforts on an island such as Tenerife.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Molowny, the insular director of waste, notes that the initiative includes not only the renewal of vehicles transporting urban waste but also the containers handling this waste are being updated.
“Though part of the transporting trucks, these containers operate independently. We have now renewed all containers within three years,” explains Molowny.
The insular director of waste indicates that “these containers necessitate comprehensive maintenance to ensure they are in optimal condition. They function independently but are associated with the trucks, requiring attention to minor repairs of their structure, inspections of the opening mechanisms, and ensuring proper closure.”
Alejandro Molowny adds that “trucks and their respective containers will feature new labeling, allowing residents to easily identify them, thus establishing a platform for the message we wish to convey, centred around a distinctive, efficient, and modern service.”
PROCESS
The modernisation of the vehicle fleet began with the replacement of 10 out of the 20 trucks that operate daily to transport urban waste to the Arico facility from transfer plants.
The remaining 10 trucks are included in a renewal plan which is activated once each reaches the age of eight years; three of these will reach this age this year.
Additionally, within the Environmental Complex of Tenerife, 12 trucks of this type are in operation, with five units already being new.
The renewal of these vehicles is based on tenure—around 10 years—given that they cover less distance annually compared to those operating on the main roads.
Among the replacements, there are also 14 other vehicles that complete the plan, along with three cars designated for staff, two of which have just been replaced.
The remaining 11 comprise cars and vans allocated across various services, including SUVs and three workshop vans for specific personnel, with only one SUV pending renewal.
