New electric mowers in Melbourne CBD ‘same as removing 420 cars off the road’

Serco has invested more than $250,000 in new equipment for our Melbourne Parks and Gardens contract, as part of a commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Replacing diesel-powered equipment with electric equipment is one of the measures Serco has introduced in Victoria to meet interval targets of a 22 per cent reduction of 2020 emissions produced by year end 2025. The 2030 target relates to all Serco assets and leases globally and aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

Ben Bayot, Managing Director of Serco’s Facilities Management team, said the investment in new equipment has far reaching benefits for the people of Melbourne from environmental impacts to cost savings.

“Serco is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030. This means finding innovative, sustainable and ecologically sound solutions that we can implement across our contracts to deliver practical, tangible changes today.”

“Diesel ride-on mowers, used to maintain expansive parks and gardens throughout the City of Melbourne, emit more carbon in one day than a single car creates in one year. By switching three of our mowers to solar-powered electric models, we are effectively taking 420 cars off the road each year.”

“This is just one of the ways we are continuing to deliver excellent service to the City of Melbourne and support its Climate Change Mitigation Strategy to 2050,” Ben said.

Serco manages more than 50 hectares of open space parks and gardens throughout Melbourne CBD. In addition to reducing carbon emissions and cutting noise pollution by 50 per cent, the new equipment will deliver savings of more than $45,000 per year in reduced fuel and maintenance costs.

The City of Melbourne’s parks and gardens are recognised as a key feature of the city’s outstanding liveability ranking. Melbourne was recently named Australia’s most liveable city by The Economist, which ranked 170 cities across the categories of stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

ENDS

                                (Image L-R: Turf Supervisor Region 2, Christopher Worner, General Manger MPG, Benjamin Corfee, Managing Director Facilities Management, Ben Bayot, Turf Supervisor Region 1, Thomas Lister and Nursery Attendant Region 1, Mel Simpson)