The Council has welcomed the addition of 'efficient, clean and super green' biofuel-powered trucks to its fleet of refuse collection vehicles. The arrival of the vehicles is the latest move towards switching the entire fleet to eco-friendly fuel.
In 2020, the Council approved plans to switch its diesel fleet to be fuelled by HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) and reduce total carbon emissions by more than 30%. Fourteen new vehicles have since been hired to replace those with older engines not guaranteed for the use of HVO fuel – significantly contributing to reducing CO2 emissions by about 2,000 metric tonnes per year.
At the beginning of June, Cabinet unanimously approved the launch of a procurement process to purchase 23 trucks with the latest Euro VI engines, as permanent replacements for the existing 14 hire vehicles, along with another nine others due to reach the end of their working life in 2023. The purchase of a new fleet will pave the way for providing an efficient, reliable and environmentally sustainable transport solution for the collection of refuse – providing meaningful change, immediately and into the future.
An advanced renewable and sustainable fuel, HVO offers up to 90% reduction in carbon emissions compared to diesel. The 246-vehicle fleet, mainly operated by waste management partners East Suffolk Norse, was the biggest single contributor to the Council's carbon footprint last year. A third the vehicles will initially be converted to HVO, including 60% of heavy goods refuse lorries.
Cllr James Mallinder, East Suffolk Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “The environment is one of the core principles of our Strategic Plan. Not only that, we declared a climate emergency, really enforcing that statement that the environment is at the heart of everything we do at East Suffolk Council.
I'm delighted, therefore, that we have introduced Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil as a fuel for our waste trucks. This is making a really important difference in our carbon footprint, reducing it by over 30% for the council as a whole, and over 98% for the fleet – a real, meaningful change, making a difference to all our residents' lives.
Our new trucks are efficient, clean, and super green. You'll notice them out and about collecting your waste, and this is really important because it's reducing the carbon footprint across the whole of East Suffolk, making a difference, caring for our environment and making a sustainable environmental community for you and for future generations."
Pictured: Cllr James Mallinder
Courtesy of East Suffolk Council
