Worthing and Adur councils are introducing new food waste collection vehicles that will run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) rather than electric, because central government funding did not cover the higher cost of electric trucks. The councils had considered low-carbon electric options but could not bridge the funding gap. The nine new vehicles will use HVO, a drop-in fuel made from waste cooking oils, which the councils say cuts carbon emissions by up to 90% compared to diesel.\n\nThe councils have been using HVO across their waste fleet since July 2025 and report a 54.25% overall reduction in emissions over seven years. One electric collection truck is already in operation, and the plan is to transition more of the fleet to electric as funding allows. The food waste collected will go to anaerobic digestion to produce biofertiliser and renewable energy. The councils are committed to carbon neutrality for their controlled emissions by 2030.
