Cleaner air for Crawley as waste trucks move to HVO fuel

Crawley Borough Council is about to go even greener by replacing diesel in its waste trucks with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).

The introduction of HVO can be used in the existing diesel vehicles with no modifications needed, meaning there will be no disruption to waste collections.

HVO burns cleaner than conventional diesel so it cuts harmful exhaust pollutants and will significantly contribute to improving air quality in Crawley. Good air quality can improve health by reducing cases of asthma and other respiratory diseases. It is estimated that 30 to 50 deaths per year in Crawley are caused by poor outside air quality.

HVO is made from waste cooking oils or other vegetable oils and can reduce carbon emissions by up to 90%. For the council, this means a saving of up to 414 tonnes CO2, which is around 10 per cent of its direct carbon footprint.

The council will work with its supplier to make sure the fuel comes from ethical and sustainable sources.

Subject to Full Council approval, it is expected that the new fuel supply will be rolled out across the waste fleet in the summer.

I am delighted to announce that we will be moving to this new fuel source. This practical, lower carbon upgrade demonstrates our commitment to sustainability while maintaining reliable and efficient collections for the community.

As part of our announcement last year of a climate and nature emergency we pledged that we would tackle air quality. The use of vegetable oil in our fleet has been long held ambition for the council and I am really pleased that this will start to be introduced this summer. It is a significant demonstration of our commitment to delivering better air quality for our residents.

The budget meeting for Crawley Borough Council will take place on 25 February.