BIN collections in Basingstoke and Deane and Hart will soon be powered by vegetable oil, under plans to cut carbon emissions. 

From spring 2024, it is planned that the waste and recycling collection trucks for Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Hart District Council will be powered by hydrogenated vegetable oil as a low-carbon biofuel.

With emissions up to 98 per cent lower than diesel, calculated by the councils using conversion figures provided by the Government, the biofuel will make significant cuts to carbon footprints and support each council's respective climate emergency declarations.

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Serco, which delivers the joint waste contract on behalf of both councils, has been trialling the new greener fuel in the vehicles in preparation for the swap.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s cabinet member for the climate and ecological emergency, Cllr Chris Tomblin, 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. Grassmowers and mechanical street sweepers, used by our grounds maintenance and street cleaning teams, already run on this biofuel.

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“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 and across the joint waste service.”

Hart District Council’s portfolio holder for climate change and corporate services, Cllr Richard Quarterman, said: “After declaring a climate emergency in April 2021, finding ways to reduce carbon emissions across all our services is central to our activities and decisions.

“Our waste and recycling collections are one of our key functions and we are pleased to be able to deliver this significant change for carbon reduction in this area.

"We continue to explore avenues across all our services to ensure we reach our goal of becoming a carbon-neutral council.”

More information on Basingstoke and Deane’s climate emergency declaration can be found at basingstoke.gov.uk/climate, whereas more information on Hart District Council's climate emergency declaration can be found at hart.gov.uk/environment/climate-change.