Perth and Kinross Council is the latest local authority to turn to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to reduce carbon emissions from its refuse collection fleet.
It began a six-month trial in 2024 using the more environmentally-friendly fuel supplied by Certas Energy, instead of diesel, in six of its bin lorries.
Using HVO, which is produced from 100% renewable waste and residue derived feedstocks, reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by 87 tonnes. And so it has swapped a further 18 trucks to using HVO: a move which it esitmates will lead to a CO2 reduction of around 500 tonnes a year.
The council’s fleet manager, Pat Taggart says the council plans to have all of its operational depots with bin lorries running on HVO.
“Our experience to date has been a very positive one not only in the reduction of CO2 emissions from our fleet but also in the practicalities of changing over to HVO,” says Taggart. ”We have not seen any adverse effects on our vehicles such as ad-hoc engine repairs, and the process of running down our diesel supply and moving to the new fuel has been straightforward,” he adds.
Darren Holloway, commercial director for energy solutions at Certas Energy, says Perth and Kinross Council are one of a growing number of public sector organisations switching to HVO.
Other councils such as Pendle Borough Council and North Ayrshire Council have already made similar moves earlier this year with their bin fleets.
“Demand for HVO is growing year-on-year across the UK as more organisations are understanding the sustainability benefits of switching to this fuel,” says Holloway. ”We anticipate this trend to continue for the next decade, and the public sector will be a key driver for this.”
