Council Vehicles Run on Leftovers
Tuesday
17th August 2010
COUNCIL VEHICLES
RUN ON LEFTOVERS
The Deputy Mayor of Bedford Borough, Charles Royden, will visit
Biogen Greenfinch's Twinwoods biogas plant in Milton
Ernest, at midday on Thursday 19th August, to see
council vehicles refuelled with biomethane, produced from
waste food.
Refuelling the two trial vehicles is part of
the council’s ongoing drive to reduce carbon emissions. The
use of biogas in council vehicles would mean local waste which
would normally have gone to landfill, would be processed at a local
facility to power local transport. This would reduce the levels of
carbon emissions in the borough as well as reducing reliance
on costly fossil fuels thus saving money for local taxpayers.
Biogas is created by a process called anaerobic digestion.
Naturally occurring micro-organisms break down animal slurry
and food waste, in a controlled environment without oxygen.
This process then creates a methane rich
biogas, which can be used as a renewable energy.
Cllr Charles Royden, Deputy Mayor of Bedford Borough, said: “The
coalition government has said that they are committed to a huge
increase in anaerobic digestion and Bedford Borough Council is at
the forefront of this initiative. Producing gas from a renewable
source means that it omits zero carbon emissions, so its users will
not contribute to global warming. We are committed to doing all we
can to reduce the environmental impact of our activities, so we are
obviously keen to take forward this process for the
environmental and financial benefits.”
BiogenGreenfinch CEO Richard Barker said: "It's satisfying to
know that local people's food waste will be put to such
fantastic use. The potential for biogas and biomethane
from food waste is enormous - it gives us vehicle fuel,
electricity for the national grid, renewable heat and a
valuable fertiliser."
Bedford Borough Council has provided 75% of the funding required
for the trial, sourced from the Mayor’s ‘Green Grant’. The vehicles
due to be refuelled and used in the trial have been loaned by
Mercedes. The models are: a Sprinter 316NGT TL9 Minibus and a
Sprinter 316NGT Medium Cage Dropside.
There is no cost to the council for this trial.