A new pilot scheme across the Royal borough has been fuelling a positive environmental bounce – running diesel-guzzling bin lorries on vegetable oil.
Forty-four refuse trucks – out of the full fleet of 80 – have been part of a successful trial that has replaced the usual dirty fuel with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).
The scheme has been running for five weeks, but has been kept largely under wraps just in case it stalled and trucks broke down. But RBKC officers have recorded no negative issues, so they are giving the change over ‘green for GO’. Plans are now in place to to expand the scheme across the entire fleet, once existing stocks of diesel have been depleted.
HVO fuel can be used in normal diesel engines with no technical changeover requirements in what is called “plug-and-play”. Although the cost of HVO is similar to diesel, the council claims that the benefits are huge when it comes to reducing carbon footprint and pollution. It says that switching to HVO will cut emissions from waste collection vehicles by 90 per cent, which would equate “to around 300 tonnes of carbon removed from the atmosphere” every year.
HVO oil is largely made out of pre-used cooking oil which is then treated with hydrogen. The move to HVO saves 10% of carbon emissions in exhaust fumes and 80% at the source of the fuel. Super-leaded enthusiasts for the subject can learn more here…
A veg oil truck prepares to hit the streets. Photo: RBKC
A veg oil truck gets filled up. Photo: RBKC
The price of the fuel is currently roughly the same as diesel, so the switch is not actually saving the Council hard cash, but over time the price of diesel is expected to rise more sharply than pre-used veg oil.
Cllr Johnny Thalassites, lead member for net zero at RBKC, said: ‘Achieving net zero is increasingly difficult for councils who are rightly prioritising keeping essential services running for residents. By trialling hydrotreated vegetable oil in place of a polluting fuel like diesel, we are innovating, without compromising service. Residents are still getting their bins collected twice a week, and it’s not costing more either – win win.
‘A lot of HVO is reclaimed from catering. So next time you’re enjoying Friday night fish and chips, the oil used to fry your meal may well end up fuelling our waste collection vehicles.’
Other environmental improvements made by the Council include installing air source heat pumps in six schools and at Chelsea Old Town Hall and its adjoining leisure centre.