Press release - 18 Sep 2009

New refuse collection vehicle using fuel made from landfill gas to begin trial in Royal Borough

A new waste collection truck that uses a mix of fuel made from landfill gas and diesel will be launched in Kensington and Chelsea next week, aiming to reduce diesel consumption by around 65 per cent.

Recycling and resource management company SITA UK, in partnership with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, will be trialling the vehicle that uses compressed biomethane (CBM) fuel as well as diesel over the next six months – the first vehicle of its kind to collect household recycling in the United Kingdom.

It is anticipated that the truck’s dual-fuel engine, which has been developed and supplied by leading environmental technology company the Hardstaff Group, will reduce reliance on fossil fuels as well as reducing harmful emissions.

Biomethane is a fuel derived from the gas produced from the natural decomposition of waste that has been deposited in landfill sites, and as such is considered to have a very low carbon footprint. The CBM used by the new truck will come from SITA UK’s own landfill site in Albury, Surrey, where the fuel is produced by Gasrec, the UK’s first commercial producer of liquefied Biomethane.

It is hoped that the dual-fuel engine in the new vehicle will be able to substitute up to 65 per cent of the diesel used by normal engines with this renewable alternative.

Carbon dioxide emissions are expected to be reduced by around 14 per cent if this target is met, with carbon monoxide emissions anticipated to reduce by up to 98 per cent. It is also hoped the amount of Nitrogen Oxide produced by the engine would reduce from between 35 – 65 per cent.

The truck, which is also expected to be up to three decibels quieter than a normal collection vehicle thanks to its modified engine, will embark on its first round on Monday 21 September. Specially designed livery has been attached to the truck to make it easily identifiable to residents over the coming months.

Stuart Hayward-Higham, Technical Director for SITA UK, said: “It has been a collective effort to get this trial in place and we are delighted that Kensington and Chelsea are hosting the trial. We hope that residents will also be happy to see their Council and waste contractor working together to reduce carbon emissions and also our reliance on fossil fuels.

“We are confident that the trial will be a success and hope to see more of our vehicles using dual-fuel engines in the near future as a result. Our vision is of a society with no more waste, and by using fuel created from our own landfill site we are hopefully taking another step towards this vision.”

Councillor Nick Paget-Brown, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “We are always looking at ways to improve how we collect our residents’ waste and I am delighted that a refuse vehicle powered by landfill gas will be collecting rubbish from the Royal Borough’s streets.

“This is an important landmark in the Council’s recycling history and highlights our commitment to protecting the environment."

Trevor Fletcher, Managing Director of the Hardstaff Group, commented: “The Hardstaff OIGI® dual fuel vehicle technology fits well with government initiatives for sustainable energy and we are very pleased our technologies have been adopted for this trial. By utilising waste as a vehicle fuel for refuse vehicles we are taking another step towards achieving a cleaner environment and reducing our reliance on crude oil.”