Cookies and Privacy

This site uses cookies to store information on your computer

Some of these cookies are necessary to make the site work. We’d also like to use optional cookies to help improve your experience on the site. You can manage your optional cookie preferences below. Using this tool will set a cookie on your device to remember your preferences. Your preferences can be changed at any time.

For further details, see our Cookie Policy and our Privacy Policy

I Accept I Do Not Accept

Essential

Essential cookies enable core functionality such as page navigation and access to secure areas. The website cannot function properly without these cookies; they can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences. Third party functions such as Google Search and Analytics will not be enabled.

Performance

Opt-in to performance settings

Performance settings enable you to use the Google Search engine on our website and help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on its usage (for example, which of our pages are most frequently visited).

Save and Close

Press Release

14 January 2022

Driving toward carbon neutral

As part of its commitment to be Carbon Neutral by 2030, Fareham Borough Council has converted its garden waste collection vehicles to operate using a biofuel, specifically hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).

The Council has signed up to a year-long trial of HVO fuel for its four garden waste vehicles, with a view to extend throughout the whole refuse and waste collection fleet and potentially smaller diesel vehicles if successful. This trial marks the first major climate change intervention of the year as the council seeks to reduce its carbon footprint.

This project forms part of the Council’s Climate Change Action Plan which was approved by Executive Members in June 2021.

The Council conducted a Low Emissions Fuel Feasibility Study between September and October 2021, which highlighted that diesel is a significant contributor to the Council’s carbon emissions with fleet fuel contributing over 67% of the Council’s direct emissions each year. The refuse and waste collection vehicles account for two thirds of the fuel used by the Council’s fleet, contributing the equivalent of 610 metric tonnes in carbon dioxide annually.

Switching these four vehicles over to HVO will reduce the Council’s annual carbon footprint by approximately 99 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide in the first year. If the trial is successful and is rolled out to the entire fleet as well as all other diesel vehicles, this could see carbon dioxide reduced by over 700 metric tonnes.

Executive Member for Streetscene at Fareham Borough Council, Councillor Ian Bastable, said: “The Council has made the commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030. This ambition gives me a tremendous sense of pride and 2022 marks the first full year where we can start to implement real change. This trial of HVO for our garden waste vehicles is just the first project of many planned for this year and the first step toward achieving our goal.”

You can find out more about the Council’s plans to reduce its carbon emissions and what you can do to help here: www.fareham.gov.uk/climatechange

ENDS