Garbage trucks in Basingstoke and Deane to run on biofuel from next spring

Rubbish and recycling bin collections are set to get greener thanks to a drive from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to cut carbon emissions.

From spring next year, it is planned that the council’s waste and recycling collection trucks will be powered by hydrogenated vegetable oil as a low-carbon biofuel.

According to Government data, the biofuel creates carbon emissions up to 98 per cent lower than diesel.

The council’s cabinet member for the climate and ecological emergency Chris Tomblin (Ind, Bramley) said: “Each week our waste and recycling trucks travel hundreds of miles around Basingstoke and Deane emptying approximately 167,000 bins.

“Finding a solution to cut the carbon generated by this service was vital to support our target to be a carbon-neutral council by December 2025.

“Grass mowers and mechanical street sweepers, used by our grounds maintenance and street cleaning teams, already run on this biofuel.

“I am delighted, after much exploratory work and testing to ensure residents continue to receive a reliable waste collection service, that we will soon be able to take this major step forward to cut significant amounts of carbon from our waste and recycling collections in Basingstoke and Deane.”

Serco, which delivers the council’s waste contract, has been trialling the new greener fuel in the vehicles in preparation for the swap.