Bin lorries could be powered by vegetable oil in a bid by Uttlesford District Council to cut its emissions and help it reach its net-zero targets.
Uttlesford District Council is proposing to switch to hydrogenated vegetable oil fuel for its waste collection vehicles, with a senior council member saying it could cut emissions by 34 per cent.
The council’s scrutiny committee discussed the plans on June 3. Documents for the meeting show that if this is rolled out, it could cost the council around £150,000 extra a year. The proposals received cross-party support during the meeting, with various health benefits being highlighted.
According to council documents, for the 2024/2025 year the total cost of diesel was £514,252.57, and the cost of using the same amount of oil would have been £661,023.221. This is an increase of £146,770.65 for the year.
The council says it could alternatively invest over £11.5 million in the next five years to turn the fleet into electric vehicles.
"There are things which are seen to have bigger and lesser emission importance, one of them is our waste fleet.
"At the moment, the fleet is using diesel and is responsible for, I believe it is, 34 per cent of our council’s emissions. This is one of the big target areas.
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"By stopping using diesel and starting to use hydrogenated vegetable oil, that gains us the 34 per cent towards our net zero goal."
Geoffrey Sell, leader of the Lib Dems, added: “I take on board points made by Cllr Donald that by definition refuse vehicles are stopping and starting very frequently and clearly the oil, unlike diesel, is not toxic, it’s safer to handle.
"I also take on board Cllr Hayne’s point about the ethical sources. Just bear in mind we need to be clear that the source we get is one that is what it says."
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