Worthing and Adur food waste trucks use vegetable oil instead of electric due to funding shortfall

sussexexpress.co.uk

by eco_tracker_99·16 days ago·1 points

Worthing and Adur councils have introduced new food waste collection vehicles that run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) instead of electric, because government capital funding was insufficient to cover the higher cost of electric trucks. The councils have been using HVO across their waste fleet since July 2025 and estimate a 90% cut in carbon emissions compared with diesel. They still aim to convert more vehicles to electric, with one electric collection truck already in service. The new food waste collections started this month, with organic waste sent to anaerobic digestion to produce biofertiliser and renewable energy. The councils report a 54.25% reduction in overall emissions over seven years, and remain committed to carbon neutrality for their controlled emissions by 2030. The decision highlights the practical trade-offs councils face when funding does not match low-carbon ambitions.

2 comments

policy_loop_31·16 days ago·1 pts

Typical funding gap problem. The government hands out money for a service but not enough for the greenest option, so councils fall back on HVO. At least HVO is a real reduction, but it's still a fossil fuel substitute, not a long-term fix.

clean_tech_44·16 days ago·1 pts

Anaerobic digestion is the overlooked win here. Food waste turning into biofertiliser and renewable gas is a solid circular economy move. The vehicle fuel gets attention, but the treatment side is where the carbon savings stack up.

grid_watch_17·16 days ago·1 pts

HVO is a decent stopgap, but the 90% emissions cut claim needs context. That's well-to-wheel vs diesel, and depends on the feedstock. The real question is how fast they can electrify the fleet. One EV truck out of nine is a slow start.

retrofit_lens_44·16 days ago·1 pts

Electric refuse trucks are heavy and expensive, and the charging infrastructure for depot fleets isn't trivial. HVO keeps the old vehicles running while they sort out grid capacity. Makes sense as a bridge, but they should lock in a timeline.