Amazon and InPost parcel locker services are set up in Wokingham
A first roll-out of parcel locker services in the borough’s municipal car parks has been completed, Wokingham Borough Council has announced.
The installation of InPost and Amazon parcel lockers aims to reduce the amount of carbon emissions from ‘last mile’ deliveries.
Executive member for active travel, transport and highways, Cllr Paul Fishwick, said the council wanted to “empower” more people to make “green” choices.
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Studies by Last Mile Experts show that shoppers who go to lockers to pick up their packages generate far less carbon dioxide than last mile deliveries – the final journey from a fulfillment center to the customer’s door.
The results showed that an InPost parcel locker can generate 66% less carbon dioxide than direct parcel delivery in urban areas, and 90% less in rural areas.
Each reduces CO2 by 14 tonnes per year, which is equivalent to driving 35,000 kilometers less in an average petrol car.
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Amazon is the largest private parcel courier in the UK, delivering 15% of an estimated 5.4 billion parcels last year, the equivalent of around 2 million items every day.
Locations include council-owned car parks in Rose Street in Wokingham and Station Road in Earley, as well as supermarkets and other businesses in towns and villages across the borough. Six more installations are planned for August.
Cllr Fishwick said the locker locations were “strategically chosen” within walking and cycling distance so shoppers didn’t need to use a car to collect their packages.