David Martin, HGV Transport Manager for Aragon Direct Services, took part in a panel discussion at the Resource and Waste Management Expo event held at the NEC in Birmingham on Wednesday and Thursday.
The annual event, which attracts thousands of attendees from across the UK, invites representatives from waste, recycling and resource communities to discuss critical issues shaping waste and resource management and find practical solutions to the sector's most pressing challenges.
Mr Martin highlighted how the authority is actively working to reduce carbon emissions by switching its vehicles from using diesel to Hydrated Vegetable Oil fuel (HVO), which achieves reductions of up to 90 per cent.
HVO fuel also delivers NOX reduction (lowering harmful nitrogen oxide gases made by burning fossil fuels in engines) and can be used in very low temperatures. It also offers the potential for reduced maintenance costs and downtime.
Mr Martin explained how the council has also installed a HVO fuel tank at its vehicle depot and is currently trialling an engine cleaning process to help vehicles run more efficiently, which has already shown encouraging results.
He said: “I was proud to share progress made by the council to industry representatives at the Expo event. Around 25 per cent of our annual carbon footprint is within fuel use, so anything we can do reduce this from our fleet will have a significant impact.
“Using HVO fuel is considered our best short-medium term option to further reduce our carbon footprint. It has several benefits including the reduction in other harmful substances such as NOX. We installed a 50K litre tank in March this year initially supplying 11 vehicles to ensure no mechanical consequences, which I am happy to report have not surfaced!
“There is a premium for this product, so finding ways to reduce fuel use is even more pertinent. We already use Michelin Connect telematics to help us understand driver driving styles with an instant lightbar feedback on the dash for the driver coupled with targeted driver training.”
The council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and committed to becoming a net zero organization by 2030 whilst also supporting the city of Peterborough to become a net zero city.
Even prior to this target being set, we were early adopters of Waste Food collections, starting collections in 2012, 14 years prior to this service being mandated by government.
The council also has a significant roof top solar portfolio, with panels on most of our own buildings and schools. Around 13 per cent of Peterborough’s homes have solar panels, making Peterborough the 3rd highest area in the country.
More information about our ongoing work to reduce emissions in Peterborough can be found on our website.