Council to trial vegetable oil for bin lorries

Fareham’s bin lorries could be fuelled with vegetable oil in a bid to reduce carbon emissions and pollution in the borough.

Fareham Borough Council has proposed that three refuse collection vehicles (RCV) could be fuelled with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to improve the councils environmental performance.

The proposal seeks a 12-month trial for three RCVs used in garden waste collections to adopt the new fuel source.

Councillor Jim Forrest said: ‘We welcome anything that reduces the borough’s carbon footprint. A year or two back we put the motion to the council calling for the council to declare a climate emergency, anything that contributes towards that is welcome.

‘I did raise a question that you need to be sure that whatever fuel you’re using to substitute petroleum fuels is sustainable.

‘I asked if we’re sure that no palm oil is being used and I got that assurance from the officer for climate change.

‘It might make a more sustainable alternative plan than electric transport because there are always costs involved in generating electricity.

‘It’s a pilot scheme, if after that period if it looks like it’s working well and having the effect of reducing our carbon footprint then I’m sure the council will move towards using that sort of fuel in all of its fleet.’

Currently, streetscene operates 24 RCVs in Fareham that are diesel-fuelled, and the fleet emits 610 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

The RCVs account for two-thirds of the fuel used in the council’s fleet, costing approximately £226,000.

Compared to diesel, HVO fuel reduces carbon emissions by 88 per cent along with 27 per cent less nitrous oxide and an 84 per cent reduction of particulate matter, helping improve air quality.

The cost is approximately £550 a year more than diesel but improved miles per gallon and rising petroleum fuel prices could offset some of this.