Councils in the Illawarra say a hydrogen garbage vehicle making its maiden collection round today will provide a dual benefit for residents.

Waste services and recycling company Remondis started using the 110-kilowatt electric vehicle, which is both environmentally friendly and significantly quieter than a diesel truck – in its operations in Wollongong and Shellharbour today.

Regional manager Chris Wade said the company wanted to demonstrate how carbon-free transport could work in an industrial setting.

"It's an important day for us, very exciting — Australia's first zero-emission, hydrogen-powered garbage truck," he said.

The vehicle is designed to travel up to 200 kilometres – to match a full waste collection run – and carry out about 1,000 bin-lifts over eight hours.

The region was selected because of its proximity to the recently opened Coregas hydrogen fuelling station at Port Kembla.

Mr Wade would not reveal the cost of the vehicle – except to say it was "significant" – but said the decision to invest in the technology came in response to customers who were "desperate" for the change.

He said he expected the cost of such vehicles would decrease as more heavy freight companies adopt the technology.

'Just the start'

The truck was designed and built by Hyzon Motors.

International relations president and Australian managing director John Edgley said it was a "historic" day.

"It's easy to get lost in all of the promise of decarbonising, but we have shown here we can take a locally designed and built product, put that truck on the road locally and fuel it locally," he said.

"That is the way you build a hydrogen community."

Mr Edgely said Hyzon had built eight other trucks, one of which had been exported to the United States, and was looking to build larger trucks.

Remondis predicts the truck will decrease yearly carbon dioxide by 75 tonnes and prevent the consumption of 25,000 litres of diesel.

Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said the council was excited by the arrival of the truck.

"It's just the start of addressing the issue of greenhouse gas emission reduction from council operations," he said.

"Trucks like this, they use up a lot of diesel, so transferring that over to hydrogen – even though it is grey hydrogen – is part of the process to transition."