Newark and Sherwood District Council's refuse vehicles could run on vegetable oil to cut emissions by third, as update given on climate emergency actions

Newark and Sherwood District Council’s bin and street scene vehicles could run on vegetable oil in the future in a bid to cut fleet emissions by a third.

The authority has set itself a target to become carbon neutral by 2035, and it is looking to run its vehicles on a cleaner fuel as one way to achieve the goal.

Electric vehicles have been rolled out across the district to replace older internal-combustion engine vehicles, but the council says alternative fuel sources are needed for those covering larger, more rural areas.

During a Policy & Performance Improvement Committee meeting on Monday (October 28) the council said it would be trialling Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel.

Greg Dowson, environmental policy and projects officer, said running refuse and Street Scene vehicles on HVO fuel could cut their emissions by a third.

“They do want to make absolutely sure it won’t cause any issues,” he said about the need for a trial.

“Because of the physical geography of our district electrification isn’t quite there yet, which is why we need to switch to an alternative fuel source.”

Mr Dowson said the council had been working on other measures and programmes to cut emissions, including the installation of solar panels on leisure buildings to save £42,318 in energy costs over next 12 months and reduce carbon dioxide by 74 tonnes.

The Green Rewards mobile app has also proven a success, Mr Dowson said.

It is available to residents across Broxtowe, Gedling, Newark and Sherwood, Nottingham city and Rushcliffe to encourage sustainable choices.

He added: “The Green Rewards app is an online platform designed to encourage users to implement positive behaviour changes for carbon reduction.

“Currently there are 608 residents as of July 10 this year. That is a 5.2% increase on last year and activities to date have avoided 73 tonnes of C02.

“We have the most active users in Nottinghamshire so we have some very good green people.”

A decarbonisation plan for council buildings has also been created in partnership with Newark firm BE Design.

The plan outlines energy efficiency measures and carbon reduction strategies for sites including Blidworth Leisure Centre, Brunel Drive Depot, Castle House, Dukeries Leisure Centre, Newark Beacon, the Palace Theatre and National Civil War Centre, Sconce and Devon Park and Vicar Water Country Park.

Additionally, since 2019, over 19,000 trees have been planted or given away by the council, and this year more trees will be planted once planting season begins, including new trees on Clay Lane and Sherwood Avenue Park as part of its regeneration.

In a statement released after the meeting, Emma Oldham, portfolio holder for climate and the environment, said: “These are just some of the exciting initiatives the district council is undertaking to help achieve our net zero targets by 2035. This is an extremely important cause to me personally and we must act with urgency. The enthusiasm of our officers in pursuing this goal and thinking creatively about ways in which to do so is really heartening.

“I recognise that setting an example for our residents is vital and we're always looking for solutions to help residents reduce their carbon footprint, making it as easy for them as possible. Together, our actions are securing cleaner air for residents and better protecting tenants' homes and residents' services against volatile energy prices. We've also got some exciting climate action plans up our sleeve and can't wait to share our growing ambitions with you all soon."