Ridge Meadows Recycling Society has purchased their first Electric Vehicle – a 2024 VMC 1200, fully-electric box truck. The truck is used by the Society’s Employment Skills Program for people with diverse abilities to do pickups and deliveries throughout the community.
Residents may have already seen the Recycling Society’s new electric box truck out & about in the community. The truck recently debuted at the Earth Day festival as part of an Electric Vehicle display organized by the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association, alongside electric vehicles from the City of Maple Ridge, the RCMP, and the Fire Department. It seems fleet managers as well as residents are turning to electric vehicles to save the environment…and costs.
“By replacing our previous internal combustion truck with a fully-electric vehicle,” explains Lorne Skoropada, Operations Director for Ridge Meadows Recycling Society, “We have not only reduced our fuel costs by almost 80%, we are no longer releasing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.”
This first, fully-electric vehicle in the Recycling Society’s fleet was built locally in Aldergrove, BC. It was purchased from Maple Ridge dealer and distributor Pioneer Motor Group, making it very convenient for any future service and parts needed. The box truck has a cargo body that is manufactured from recycled plastic, aluminum, and tin and was also built by a local company, Sustainable Truck and Equipment, who installed a Level 2 charger at the Maple Ridge Recycling Depot to charge the vehicle as needed. The truck has a range of approximately 250 km per charge.
The Recycling Society was able to purchase the truck through federal and provincial rebates and funding provided by a Community Prosperity Fund grant, available to organizations in B.C. that advance poverty reduction and social inclusion. Ridge Meadows Recycling Society received the grant from the Province of British Columbia and Maple Ridge Community Foundation.
The electric box truck is used by the Recycling Society’s Employment Skills program. This unique program, supported by Community Living BC, incorporates a supported work environment to teach job skills training and provide employment to people with diverse abilities and is specifically designed for them to experience success in a work setting. The truck enables this crew to provide pick up services in the community, including:
- large items like freezers and washing machines
- abandoned shopping carts
- books, refundable beverage containers, and textiles to deliver for recycling
- other pickups and deliveries as requested by the City of Maple Ridge bylaws and other departments
These off-site services benefit community members and offer additional opportunities to people in the program. By gaining employment experience and skills at off-site job locations in addition to those offered at the Maple Ridge Recycling Depot, individuals in the program have a wider view of potential future employment and experience in the kind of work they would like to move on to once their time in the program is complete.
“All in all, we are very happy with the performance of the truck,” continues Skoropada, “The warranty is outstanding, with the batteries fully warranted for 10 years and all other components for 8 years. We look forward to many years of environmentally friendly use as we provide services, build skills, and foster social inclusion in the community.”