Sheffield City Council and Veolia Environmental Services, the Council’s recycling and waste management contractor, have launched what they say is the country’s largest fleet of gas-fuelled vehicles.

The ten recycling and waste collection lorries will run on compressed natural gas (CNG).

A CNG vehicle produces 20% less CO2 than a vehicle powered by traditional fossil-based fuels.

Although, CNG vehicles have been available for a number of years, the technology at the time was not fully developed.

Veolia’s chief operating officer for environmental services, Tom Spaul, said: “We have worked closely with Sheffield City Council to introduce an advanced vehicle fleet that uses clean technology.

“By innovating and utilising new technologies that cut carbon emissions, we are helping Sheffield in their aspirational targets to become a greener city while still providing value for money for our customers.”

Council Leader, Paul Scriven, has been keen for the authority to take the lead in testing alternative vehicle fuels in the city.

He said: “We are committed to testing various green fuels to offer a practical alternative to petrol and diesel.

“By beginning to replace our fleet with these green vehicles we are showing our commitment to reducing Sheffield’s carbon emissions.

“We have worked closely with Veolia to introduce gas-fuelled lorries into their fleet and we want to share our experience with other fleet operators, so I hope they will follow this positive lead. ”

Sheffield based company, Chesterfield BioGas, supplied the biomethane gas filling station and associated equipment.

Luke Walsh

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