A new garden waste recycling truck won’t be run on renewable energy, under proposals being considered by council leaders.

Plans are in the works to spend £205,000 on a new lorry to serve the growing number of people in Bracknell Forest using the garden waste collection service. But council officials have decided they should opt for a diesel vehicle – at least in the short term.

Plans presented to Bracknell Forest Council leaders say officers considered running the vehicle on alternative fuel – but that there are “significant risks” to all of these.

The plans say officers considered fuel based on vegetable oil, hydrogen, bio-methane and electricity. But they say that producing vegetable oil can itself harm the environment, such as through deforestation.

Hydrogen cannot be stored near where people live. And bio-methane and electric vehicles are not yet proven to be suited to large waste trucks.

Despite this, officers say that the council should commit to a trial running vehicles on vegetable oil-based fuel in the future, after they have investigated further.

The plans say the council needs a new vehicle as the number of people using the garden waste collection service has increased from 12,800 to 15,700 since 2019. That means the two current trucks are operating “beyond capacity.”

The leading group of councillors – the executive committee – is set to vote on the plans on Tuesday, November 14.

Cllr Helen Purnell, executive member for environment and community cohesion, said: “Since investing in new waste and recycling vehicles in 2019, the borough has seen 3,600 new homes built. 

“This has stretched our current service and vehicles to its limits. So, to continue providing a good service, we are proposing to invest in a new 26-tonne waste collection vehicle to join our fleet.

“We had previously forecasted that we may need an extra vehicle in 23/24 given the increased demand.  

“If agreed at the Executive and once up and running, the new vehicle is crucial to help our current garden waste service.  This has seen an impressive increase in subscribers from 12,800 to 15,700 over the last four years. 

“The vehicle will also support our growing network of general waste and recycling collections, particularly from new blocks of flats.

“As part of our environmental responsibility, we are looking at plans to trial hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) in the vehicle, rather than diesel to significantly reduce emissions.

“As a borough we have really stepped up our recycling efforts over the past few years and growth is inevitable. We want to keep providing you with a great service so we can recycle as much of our waste as possible and protect our local environment. Thank you to everyone who continues to recycle correctly and reduce waste where they can.”