What’s thought to be the biggest trial of an emissions-cutting new fuel in Yorkshire is underway in the borough of Scarborough.
The council has started using a fuel made from waste oils and fats.
It’s being used instead of traditional diesel to power more than half of the vehicles based at the Dean Road depot.
They range from large bin wagons to ride-on lawn mowers.
The new fuel – called hydrotreated vegetable oil – or HVO – will drastically reduce carbon emissions from the fleet by as much as 90 per cent in some cases.
Over the course of the 12-month trial, almost 900,000kg of carbon dioxide will be saved from harming the environment.
HVO fuel also means fewer particulates and nitrogen oxides.
As it is almost a like-for-like replacement of diesel, most vehicles can use it without any modification.
Dean Road’s vans, trucks and plant equipment currently consume 30,000 litres of diesel a month.
While HVO is made from waste oils and fats derived from restaurants, there is no odour and the fuel does not include any additives such as palm oil.
Meanwhile, the council took delivery of a fully electric bin wagon for a week-long trial.
The vehicle has been supplied by manufacturer Dennis Eagle.
Called the ‘eCollect’, the wagon is fitted with five packs of lithium-ion batteries which produce a combined 300KWh of power.
It fully charges overnight and in trials elsewhere in the country has worked double collection shifts with charge remaining in the battery.
The borough of Scarborough was more of a test for the vehicle because of some the steep gradients that diesel wagons must negotiate.
Dennis Eagle will analyse the data recorded as part of the trial.
Councillor Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, cabinet member for the environment and sustainability, said:
“The switch to HVO fuel means we will have one of the greenest vehicle fleets in the whole of North Yorkshire.
“Cutting harmful emissions by 90 per cent means we will take a huge step towards our goal to minimise the harmful affect our services have on our fragile environment.
“Our overall CO2 emissions are the lowest they have been for more than 15 years and should be driven down further because of this trial.
“I am also delighted that Dennis Eagle has leant us a pure-electric bin wagon to test in the borough.
“It will be interesting to see how the vehicle performs in a real-world setting, especially given the challenging geography in some parts of our borough.”
