More than £2 million is planned to be spent on new recycling lorries that run on vegetable oil. 

East Cambridgeshire District Council [ECDC] have earmarked 10 eco-friendly recycling vehicles, which would be converted to run on hydrotreated vegetable oil [HVO].  

If the £2.78m plans are approved at ECDC’s operational services committee meeting on March 27, the new fleet is expected to be operating in 2024. 

The plans have been made in the council’s aims of becoming net carbon neutral by 2040. 

“We are determined our actions reflect the fact we want a cleaner, greener East Cambridgeshire,” said Cllr Anna Bailey, leader of ECDC. 

“Our existing fleet of recycling lorries currently accounts for two thirds of the council’s carbon emissions. 

“When they needed to be replaced, it made perfect sense to opt for a greener alternative.” 

HVO is made from feedstock such as vegetable oils which are processed to produce clean burning fuel. 

ECDC say HVO generates 90 per cent less carbon than a traditional diesel fuel vehicle, which would help the council save money to reach its carbon neutral target. 

READ MORE: 'Unprecedented' staff shortages means waste targets fall below par

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. 

READ MORE: ‘It’s been like this for 11 months’ - woman’s assisted refuse collection failure

A ECDC spokesperson said: “This will provide crews with the data to undertake rounds more efficiently and reduce the number of missed bins.” 

ECDC intends to purchase the vehicles and lease them back to ECSS, with an interest rate of five per cent.