Scottish council switches refuse vehicles to run on HVO

North Ayrshire Council has announced it has switched 36 refuse collection vehicles from diesel to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).
This initiative is expected to save roughly 2,529 tonnes of carbon emissions over the next 12 months.
According to the Council, this equates to more than a fifth of the overall fleet-produced emissions and approximately one million litres of HVO will be consumed over the course of the year.
The Scottish Government has set its ambitions to phase out the need for new petrol or diesel vehicles in public sector fleets by 2030, and ending the sales of diesel HGVs for vehicles between 3.5 and 26 tonnes by 2035.
Council leaders say this move demonstrates North Ayrshire Council’s commitment to aligning its priorities with the Government’s sustainability ambitions.
Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy, said: “As a local authority, we are continually striving to reduce our carbon footprint and ensure that climate change and sustainability are at the heart of the decisions we make. Using HVO will help to make a significant impact, cutting the overall reduction of fleet-produced emissions by more than 20 per cent.”
Darren Holloway, commercial director for energy solutions at Certas Energy, said: “We are thrilled to be fuelling the transition to net zero for North Ayrshire Council, who are one of a growing number of public sector organisations switching to HVO.
“Demand for HVO is growing year-on-year across the UK as more organisations are understanding the sustainability benefits of switching to this fuel. We anticipate this trend to continue for the next decade, and the public sector will be a key driver for this.”