Hartlepool pupils name four food-waste wagons

Meet Hartlepool’s newly named food-waste fleet

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Hartlepool pupils have named the borough’s four food-waste wagons, with the winning designs helping explain how household scraps become biogas and fertiliser.

By The Tees Editorial Desk · 24 August 2026

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Hartlepool’s food-waste rounds are getting four new names, all supplied by primary school pupils with a good grasp of the value of a terrible pun.

The council invited children across the borough to name its dedicated collection wagons. The winning choices will now appear on the vehicles as they travel between local homes.

Meet the fleet

Food Waste Fitz was by James S from Throston Primary School. Vinnie J of Kingsley Primary School came up with Peels on Wheels.

The Grub Gobbler was a shared winning idea from Sofia H at Eldon Grove Academy and Ellie-Mae W at Grange Primary School. The fourth vehicle will become The Munch Machine, named by Renée N from Fens Primary School.

Each winning pupil received a £50 gift voucher, with another £50 voucher going to their school. They were also given a seven-day swim pass for Highlight Active Hub and a free bike service from Summerhill Country Park.

Duranta Energy Ltd donated the vouchers. The company processes the food collected by the council, turning household scraps into biogas and natural fertiliser.

A joke that carries a useful message

The names are fun, but putting them on working vehicles gives the competition a practical purpose. A brightly branded wagon makes a new waste stream more recognisable and creates an easy opening for families to talk about what happens after the caddy is emptied.

Food placed in the collection is kept separate from general rubbish and sent for processing. Instead of being discarded with the rest of the bin, it becomes material for renewable gas and fertiliser. That gives leftovers and peelings another use and helps the borough reduce waste.

Councillor Amanda Napper, chair of the council’s Neighbourhoods and Services Committee, said the response showed the creativity of local children and would help raise awareness of the collection scheme. Duranta Energy’s Sri Brahma also congratulated the pupils and highlighted the part households and councils play in supplying the process.

Public-service vehicles are usually named by fleet number, if they are named at all. Hartlepool’s four now have identities people can remember, and five pupils have the satisfaction of spotting their own idea at work on the street.

: Winning names, prizes and processing details were checked against Hartlepool Borough Council’s announcement of 12 August 2026. Image: Hartlepool Borough Council.