Bin lorries run on vegetable oil in new pilot

Forty-four bin lorries are swapping diesel fuel for hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in a climate-friendly trial. 

Kensington and Chelsea council launched the pilot in a bid to cut carbon emissions from the fleet of waste collection vehicles by 90 per cent. 

Over a year, that would equate to about 300 tonnes of carbon removed from the atmosphere.

HVO is made from cooking oils, animal fats that are treated with hydrogen to create fuel. 

The way HVO is made means it works in the engines of the existing vehicles, so it can replace the previous fuel source without any changes to the vehicles or any adverse effects on their engines. 

The price of the fuel is about the same as diesel currently, so the switch is not increasing costs for the council and over time may be cheaper than diesel, as the cost of the finite resource increases.

Cllr Johnny Thalassites, lead member for net zero at Kensington and Chelsea council said: “Achieving net zero is increasingly difficult for councils who are rightly prioritising keeping essential services running for residents. 

“By trialling HVO 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.”

 The move to HVO saves 10 per cent of carbon emissions at the vehicle’s output and 80 per cent at the source of the fuel. 

Pictured top: A new HVO fuelled lorry (Picture: Kensington and Chelsea council)