As many of you may already be aware, Bio Collectors are in the process of upgrading the fleet to run on clean and sustainable Biogas/CNG power, produced from recycling food waste at our Mitcham facility. (For those of you that don’t, click here)

This move away from fossil fuels represents a huge shift in our operations to an even more sustainable service that is ready to meet the burgeoning needs of the circular economy in London. Fueling our vehicles using the very food waste we collect is a quite literal example of how, with a little hard work, it is possible to create modern, effective services that also take into account our environment and the effect it can have on our roads. All these new vehicles are naturally ULEZ compliant, more than meeting the requirements of the London Mayor’s goal of reducing air pollution around the Capital, especially from HGV traffic.

Making it to the SME Green Award final stages is a recognition of the importance of such changes, not only to businesses but also to London as a whole. We hope to inspire other companies to look at their own operations in the same way, moving towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly methods of working for the benefit of everyone.

Keep your fingers crossed for us in December.

Bio Collector’s oversee every stage of the recycling from pick-up to processing to powering the vehicles, demonstrating a real, working example of the circular economy in action all under one roof.

Creating fuel and resources from food waste is at the heart of Bio Collector’s mission and our ongoing investment in developing anaerobic digestion technology to harness it’s full potential will hopefully prove to be an inspiration for other’s looking to meet the burgeoning needs of a circular economy, head-on.

CNG/Biogas power has the potential to help significantly reduce pollution and unnecessary wastage, not only in London but country wide. As a company, Bio Collectors are proud to help lead the way in providing forward thinking and highly sustainable solutions to London’s food waste problem.

Today we are unveiling the first of our new fleet of Biogas powered vehicles, beginning service this week, and the start of our conversion to being an even more sustainable business!

All of us at Bio Collectors are very excited to be embarking on such a huge shift away from the traditional fossil fuels and the associated environmental cost that come with using them, especially as a company operating vehicles across London.

Our range of new collection vehicles will be powered using Biogas generated from the very same food waste that we collect and recycle at our AD facility in Mitcham, making our vehicles some of the most environmentally friendly on the road and more than meeting the new Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) standard for London.

Read the full release below:

London’s largest independent food waste collector has completed preparations for the capital’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) by revealing plans to convert all 25 of its vehicles to run solely on compressed natural gas (CNG) produced by its anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in South London.

Bio Collectors, which collects food waste from within the M25, has today taken delivery of seven CNG-fueled food collection vehicles that will replace trucks in its 25-strong fleet. They will be fueled by methane gas produced by its Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant in South London.

CNG is a more environmentally-friendly method of powering Heavy Goods Vehicles than diesel, but the Bio Collectors’ CNG station goes one step further, moving production of the gas away from drilling or fracking. The gas produced by the AD plant is zero fossil fuel as it is created entirely from food waste.

Operating an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant that processes up to 100,000 tonnes of food waste annually, Bio Collectors site is capable of generating the equivalent of 6mW of gas and 1.7mW of electricity every hour. The by-products of the recycling of food waste already power the plant and on-site offices, as well as feeding fuel into the national grid.

The move coincides with the implementation of ULEZ in the central London Congestion Zone on 8 April, designed to drive an improvement in air quality across the capital.

Managing Director Paul Killoughery said: “We welcome the introduction of ULEZ as it will improve air quality in London. Our biogas-powered vehicles will play their part in lowering emissions in London without the added implication of having to generate electricity, which may not be so clean. By fueling them with the food waste we collect, we can ensure that all our services are ready for the environmental challenges of the future. Bio Collectors is closing the waste loop in London and turning food waste into a valuable and sustainable fuel.”

Electric cars are the air quality solution favoured by the Mayor, but research revealed that CNG would be the most viable option for Bio Collectors. Killoughery added: “We did look at electric vehicles, as their exemption from the congestion charge and road fuel tax would make them the logical choice – CNG trucks are liable for both. But electric vehicles are not available at the payloads we require and would take all night to recharge, making them impractical and logistically impossible due to the significant space needed for separate charging stations for 25 vehicles. Alternatively, a CNG pump can refill a truck as quickly as on a traditional forecourt.

“We have long championed an environmentally-friendly attitude, with that mentality forming the basis of what we do at Bio Collectors – AD is the most effective way of processing and recycling food waste with the least harmful impacts. Our decision to convert our fleet to CNG fuel further consolidates our stance and we are proud to lead the charge ahead of ULEZ.