Two new UK biogas-fuelled recycling vehicles launched
Two new large recycling vehicles powered entirely from food waste-derived biogas are now in operation in the west of England.
The biogas-fuelled vehicles are powered from the food waste they collect, and now service cafes, restaurants, schools and offices.
They are the latest addition to the expanding fleet of ‘Bio-Bees’, which have served the city of Bristol since 2017 and have been affectionately named Buzz Lightyear and Buzz Aldrin by the public, following a public poll by renewable energy and recycling firm GENeco.
The food waste collected by the Bio-Bees is taken to GENeco’s anaerobic digestion facility in Avonmouth, where it is turned into clean biomethane fuel used to sustainably power local homes and – in a UK first – the Bio-Bees themselves, reducing their wheel-to-wheel CO2 and particulate matter emissions by over 90% compared to diesel.
Francis Marsh, head of liquid waste resources at GENeco, said: “Following the success of our Bio-Bees operating in Bristol and the positive changes they have made to the local environment, we are really excited to expand the service to collect and recycle food waste from more businesses across a larger region.
“Every year an estimated 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere across the UK from food waste that is being sent to landfill to rot, instead of being recycled.
“The Bio-Bees allow us to harvest the valuable energy and nutrients in food waste and use it to power homes and vehicles in a more sustainable and ethical way.”
GENeco noted that following the momentum generated by the recent IPCC report, and the successful bid for Bristol to be named a Gold Sustainable Food City, businesses with food service facilities are more interested than ever in being sustainable, carbon-neutral and sending less waste to landfill.”
The biogas-fuelled vehicles are powered from the food waste they collect, and now service cafes, restaurants, schools and offices.
They are the latest addition to the expanding fleet of ‘Bio-Bees’, which have served the city of Bristol since 2017 and have been affectionately named Buzz Lightyear and Buzz Aldrin by the public, following a public poll by renewable energy and recycling firm GENeco.
The food waste collected by the Bio-Bees is taken to GENeco’s anaerobic digestion facility in Avonmouth, where it is turned into clean biomethane fuel used to sustainably power local homes and – in a UK first – the Bio-Bees themselves, reducing their wheel-to-wheel CO2 and particulate matter emissions by over 90% compared to diesel.
Francis Marsh, head of liquid waste resources at GENeco, said: “Following the success of our Bio-Bees operating in Bristol and the positive changes they have made to the local environment, we are really excited to expand the service to collect and recycle food waste from more businesses across a larger region.
“Every year an estimated 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere across the UK from food waste that is being sent to landfill to rot, instead of being recycled.
“The Bio-Bees allow us to harvest the valuable energy and nutrients in food waste and use it to power homes and vehicles in a more sustainable and ethical way.”
GENeco noted that following the momentum generated by the recent IPCC report, and the successful bid for Bristol to be named a Gold Sustainable Food City, businesses with food service facilities are more interested than ever in being sustainable, carbon-neutral and sending less waste to landfill.”
