Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council using vegetable oil biofuel to power grass mowers
Grass mowers across North Hampshire have been operating on hydrogenated waste vegetable oil to improve air quality and slash greenhouse gas emissions.
All of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s 25 mowers have been operating on the biofuel since May.
This was the first phase of the council’s new environmental plans, with the second being using the renewable and more sustainable fuel to power the rest of its fleet of operational vehicles, which includes street sweepers, tipper vehicles and a small van.
Hayley Eachus (Con, Kempshott and Buckskin), the council’s cabinet member for environment and climate action, said: “Reducing emissions from our council fleet remains a priority and this waste oil is a more sustainable fuel, particularly for those vehicles where suitable electric or zero emissions alternatives do not yet exist.
“Swapping our grass mowers to this biofuel is already expected to reduce our emissions by around 90 tonnes a year.
“We have already cut the net emissions from our operations by two-thirds since 2018/19 and swapping to using biofuel in other vehicles would see further significant reductions as we continue to make strong progress towards our ambitious target to become a net zero carbon council by 2025.”
Hydrogenated vegetable oil is created by collecting waste fats and cooking oils and putting them through a hydrotreatment process so they can be reused, rather than disposing of them as hazardous waste or in landfill.
It can also be used in place of diesel without vehicles needing to be modified.
The council hopes to roll out the second phase of its biofuel trial in the next six weeks.