West Berkshire waste-collection trucks run on renewable diesel

Photo: West Berkshire Council

West Berkshire Council in the U.K. announced a major step forward in its commitment to sustainability recently.   

All of its waste-collection vehicles that are used to collect weekly food waste from households, and the delivery vehicle for bins, boxes and bags across the district, are now running on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), also known as renewable diesel.  

Made from certified sustainable materials, HVO can replace diesel directly and offers up to a 90 percent reduction in fossil carbon-dioxide emissions, making it significantly better for the environment than regular diesel.  

This initiative is perfectly aligned with West Berkshire’s ambitious goal to achieve net zero across the district by 2030. 

By making this switch, West Berkshire anticipates replacing over 67,000 liters (17,700 gallons) of diesel with this renewable fuel over the next year.  

This transition is expected to save around 230 metric tons of CO2 annually, which is equivalent to the carbon footprint of over 100 round-trip flights from London to New York.  

Expanding on West Berkshire’s net-zero ambition, an electric refuse-collection vehicle (eRCV) is also being trialed in late 2024 to further develop plans for more sustainable services. 

“This is an exciting leap forward in our mission to create a more green, clean and sustainable West Berkshire, and continuing to improve our waste services,” said Stuart Gourley, an executive member for environment and highways at West Berkshire Council. “By adopting HVO, we’re not just cutting emissions, we’re driving real change toward a greener, healthier future for everyone in our community. This is just one of the many steps we’re taking to push the boundaries of what’s possible for our environment and set an example for others to follow and ensure we meet our carbon-neutrality targets by 2030.”  

David Matthews, the general manager at Veolia West Berkshire, said, “Veolia has significant experience in managing the transition to alternative fuels and is delighted to be supporting West Berkshire Council with this move to greener fuels for the local collection fleet. Making this change will create a more sustainable service for residents by reducing emissions that impact on the environment, which also contributes towards Veolia’s wider goal of ecological transformation.”