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Over 80 tonnes of carbon emissions have been saved in just three months after Hart District Council introduced low-carbon biofuel for bin trucks.

Since April, Hart’s waste and recycling collection vehicles have been swapping to hydrogenated vegetable oil as an alternative fuel. This fuel now accounts for over 80% of the fuel usage across the waste and recycling fleet and has up to 98% lower emissions than diesel, according to government conversion factors. 

80 tonnes of carbon emissions is the equivalent of the emissions generated driving over 280,000 miles in an average petrol-powered car. 

After declaring a climate emergency in 2021, this advancement is part of the Council’s work to tackle climate change and become a carbon-neutral authority by 2035 and district by 2040.  

Councillor Richard Quarterman, Portfolio Holder for Corporate Services and Climate Change, said: “Our waste and recycling service is a key function and it’s fantastic we’ve been able to find a local way to tackle climate change while still delivering a great service.

“We expect to continue to make significant reductions in our emissions from our bin trucks to help protect our district and bring us closer to our goal of carbon neutrality.”

More information about the Council’s action on climate change is at www.hart.gov.uk/environment/climate-change 

Notes: The council uses the UK Government’s official conversion factors to calculate the approximate carbon savings from using hydrogenated vegetable oil as a replacement fuel for diesel in its operational vehicles.

The government conversion factors indicate a 98% difference in the greenhouse gas emissions of diesel (average biofuel blend) compared to biodiesel hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO).

More information is at www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-conversion-factors-for-company-reporting.

Hart District Council has purchased its first two electric vans, replacing older petrol vehicles as part of its commitments to be carbon neutral by 2035.

The replacements are part of a gradual plan to replace all council vehicles when they come to the end of their life. This is usually the most carbon-efficient way to upgrade since 40% of a car’s emissions are primarily from manufacturing and maintenance*.

Upgrading vehicles to electric is one of many actions Hart has planned to achieve its ambition of being a carbon-neutral council by 2035 (and as a district by 2040).

As part of the Council’s climate change action plan, electric vehicle (EV) chargers are being installed across Hart-owned car parks. The first have been installed in the Council civic office car park so the new vans can be charged onsite. Additional charge points are planned in Hartley Wintney, Fleet, Blackwater, Hook and Odiham.   

Councillor David Neighbour, Leader of Hart District Council, said: “It’s great to see our new electric vans around Hart. Our Countryside and Parking services use these vehicles each week to carry out their essential services and are finding the vans easy and enjoyable to drive.

“Transport is quite a large proportion of our carbon footprint, so it’s important that we upgrade to electric to meet our 2035 ambition.”

The vans were sourced from local dealers and are the Maxus eDeliver3 model – chosen against Hart’s service requirements, sustainability targets, good industry reviews, as well as representing good value for money.

The new vans are in addition to our road sweepers that were upgraded last year to run on hydrogenated waste vegetable oil (known as HVO vehicles). HVO is a renewable and more sustainable fuel with up to 98% lower carbon emissions than diesel**. Hart will continue to review its replacement plan in line with technology advances.

Thinking of upgrading to electric?

If you’re thinking about buying an electric vehicle, you might want to consider these points (based on the book ‘How bad are bananas?’ by Professor Mike Berners-Lee, a leading expert in carbon footprinting):

• Unless your car is particularly gas-guzzling, it is usually best to wait until your car is at the end of its life, the most carbon efficient way to swich.
• Even with electric, it is important not to buy a car bigger than you need. Bigger car = higher carbon emissions due to its manufacturing carbon footprint.
• Plug-in hybrids could be a good option if you need the range of a conventional car or do not need a huge battery.
• Hampshire County Council is taking requests on where residents would like on-street EV charge points. To have your say, visit: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=tdiBPwfuF0yGnB20OQGNmzUTqBAIhElLiamg47BGEjRUOTgwQURRUDk2VlUzUkI4TThXQTU1NVMyTC4u

*Information and data taken from ‘How Bad are Bananas’ by Mike Berners-Lee (2020)

** www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2022

We've been awarded £1.6 million towards the cost of installing heat pumps in three of our key buildings.  

The funding has been received from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and will be used to replace most of the current old heating systems in the Civic Office building in Fleet, Frogmore Leisure Centre and The Harlington, Fleet.  

Replacing fossil fuel heating systems with more sustainable energy sources is essential in helping to reduce a building’s carbon footprint.  

Councillor Richard Quarterman, Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Corporate Services, said: “Our commitment to becoming a carbon neutral council by 2035 is at the forefront of our work and we are always looking for ways to improve our energy efficiency. We’re thrilled to have been successful in our bid for funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.  

“This funding allows us to invest in more sustainable energy sources for the buildings we own. The project will run alongside other initiatives in our climate change action plan to take us closer to our carbon neutrality goals.”

It is anticipated that this installation will reduce these buildings’ annual carbon emissions by approximately 240 tonnes per year, the equivalent of filling 240 hot air balloons. Heat pumps rely on electricity to operate, so the Council will also look at ways to utilise electricity generated from renewable energy sources.

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and delivered by Salix. The Salix teams will work with the Council on this part of their decarbonisation journey.

Salix Director of Programmes Ian Rodger said: “We look forward to working with the council on this project, which will not only make these three buildings more energy efficient but more comfortable places in which to work and enjoy.”

To find out more about what we're are doing to tackle climate change, visit their website to see the recently published climate change update report. 
 

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

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

With emissions up to *98% lower than diesel, using conversion figures provided by Government, the biofuel will make significant cuts to both councils’ carbon footprints to support their respective climate emergency declarations.  

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. 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 and across the joint waste service.” 

Councillor Richard Quarterman, Hart District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Corporate Services, 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 is on the website at www.basingstoke.gov.uk/climate 

More information on Hart District Council’s climate emergency declaration.

* Both councils use the UK Government’s official conversion factors to calculate the approximate carbon savings from using hydrogenated vegetable oil as a replacement fuel for diesel in their operational vehicles. The government conversion factors indicate a 98% difference in the greenhouse gas emissions of diesel (average biofuel blend) compared to biodiesel hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO). For more information, see www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-conversion-factors-for-company-reporting.