Recycling lorries across East Cambridgeshire could soon be running on vegetable oil, as more than £2 million is planned to be spent on new recycling lorries by the council for its new fleet. East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC) will buy 10 of the eco-friendly HGVs when a committee meeting is expected to green light the £2 million funding on 27 March.

If approved, then the new fleet is expected to take to the roads in early 2024. The new vehicles, which will run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), plus the remainder of its fleet will also be fitted with in-cab technology to help deliver an efficient service for residents.

It will enable the council’s service provider, as well as ECDC, to record and view real time information relating to the completion of waste collection and delivery rounds.

“We are determined our actions reflect the fact we want a cleaner, greener East Cambridgeshire. Our existing fleet of recycling lorries currently accounts for two thirds of the council’s carbon emissions. So, when they needed to be replaced it made perfect sense to opt for a greener alternative,” said Councillor Anna Baily, ECDC Leader.

The council said that while its ambition is to be able to run on HVO 100% of the time, each vehicle will have the ability to run on HVO in addition to traditional diesel fuels.

In a report to councillors, East Cambridgeshire Street Scene [ECSS], the council-owned company that runs waste and street cleansing services in the district, were operating refuse collection vehicles [RCVs] that are nine to 10 years old. The average life span of these vehicles is around seven to eight years with 10 of ECSS’s 16 RCVs due to be replaced, the report stated. The new vehicles plus the remaining collection fleet will also be fitted with in-cab technology.

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