£70,000 drive to switch to veggie oil

A COUNCIL’S bosses are to spend an extra £70,000 a year by switching its diesel vehicles to vegetable oil.

It said the move will wipe out nearly all of the vehicles’ emissions.

Blaby District Council confirmed the move following a meeting of its cabinet.

It said the move will help cut costs eventually. However, that comes following an initial outlay.

At present, the district council uses more than 200,000 litres of diesel a year across all its fleet.

The result is the production of about 505 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

Hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO), the diesel alternative, is becoming more commonplace across the UK as its emissions are 51 tonnes a year.

Councillor Nigel Grundy, portfolio holder for neighbourhood services and assets at Blaby District Council, believed it was a good move for the council.

He said: “We are delighted to approve this measure and join other organisations which have already made this transition to hydrotreated vegetable oil.

“We empty more than 2.5 million bins a year, undertaking so much work across our district while using our fleet.

“Every vehicle we have is important for the work we do but we know that it needs to be as sustainable as possible.”

The transitional costs of HVO are expected to cost the council an extra £70,000 per year, but the local authority is confident that it will lead to a 90 per cent saving on emissions.

The HVO move is the latest in a series of measures as part of Blaby District Council’s ambitions to become carbon neutral by 2030.

It has already introduced an all-electric van to its fleet.

Coun Grundy said: “HVO is the natural next step for us. We’re also hoping to introduce more electric vehicles in the coming years.”