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Refuse trucks run on vegetable oil
THREE 26-ton rubbish trucks working for Islington Council are being fuelled by vegetable oil in a trial aimed at saving money and the environment.
The recycling and refuse vehicles are taking used vegetable oil collected from local restaurants in the borough. It is filtered and converted into bio-diesel before being pumped into the trucks. The bio-diesel lasts as long as a standard diesel and could also be used in cars. Once converted into fuel it achieves carbon reductions of up to 91 per cent. Only minor conversions to the engine are needed.
Councillor Greg Foxsmith, Islington Council’s executive member for environment, said: “This is a great example of what goes around comes around and shows how everything that’s thrown out can be a valuable resource.
“Islington, including our trendy Upper Street, is famous for its fabulous restaurants so it’s great people can know they’re doing what’s best for the environment when they dine in our borough.”
The service, launched with the council’s contractors Enterprise, features new vehicles with compartments for different materials – rather than one vehicle for each type of material – meaning far fewer vans and lorries on the road.
The trucks’ launch was a highlight of Islington’s Recycle Now Week – aimed at encouraging environmentally friendly behaviour.
Cooking oil poured down the sink or thrown away for landfill causes environmental damage. Birds and animals can be affected, the water’s oxygen supply depleted, and hard and gummy coatings on surfaces can persist for years.
It also causes sink and drain blockage, meaning cleaning and the use of more chemicals.
Other events organised by Islington include a re-use fashion show, where Islington Arts and Media School students reinvented and modelled unwanted clothes, and a Give or Take Day at which 1.6 tons of goods were swapped. |
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