Longford Town Council goes green

Longford Town Council recently became the first local authority in Ireland to switch its entire fleet of vehicles from regular auto diesel to biodiesel. And as Longford Town Council administrative officer Mark McNerney explains, the changeover has been a complete success.

The staff in Longford Town Council are fully behind the switch from regular auto-diesel to biodiesel

A small piece of history was made last April when Longford Town Council became the first local authority in this country to switch its entire fleet of vehicles from regular auto diesel to biodiesel.
The Council is hoping that its decision will spearhead a change in thinking by local authorities across Ireland as to how operational services contribute to their carbon footprint and the fight to reduce carbon emissions.
The changeover has already been hailed as a success. Emission rates have been reduced and all drivers report – contrary to some commentators – that there has been no downgrade in vehicle performance.

“We made the switch in April and have been very pleased with the results,” says Longford Town Council administrative officer Mark McNerney.
“We have eight vehicles running on biofuel and the feedback we have been getting back from our drivers has been very positive. As far as we can ascertain, there has been no loss in performance or efficiency and the vehicles are running 100 per cent. The drivers can’t tell the difference at this stage.

Mark McNerney (admin office), PJ O'Donoghue (town foreman) and Dan Rooney (town clerk) with one of the biodiesel powered trucks

“We’re very proud of the fact that we were the first local authority to make the changeover and we like to think we’re spearheading the move for change as far as reducing carbon emissions are concerned. I know for a fact that a number of other local authorities are exploring the idea of switching over because they have been in contact with us recently.”

The project is ‘green’ on two fronts. Not only is the fuel environmentally friendly, it is manufactured from waste collected by Greyhound Recycling & Recovery and processed at their Dublin operation, which is the largest private integrated waste management facility in Ireland. The fuel is created from wet waste extract and cooking oils collected from restaurants and retailers. The use of biofuel enables end users to help Ireland fulfil its commitment under the Kyoto Protocol while turning the clock back on global warming.

A bio-diesel powered Longford Town Council road sweeper

Greyhound Recycling & Recovery managing director Brian Buckley comments: “The production of biodiesel is a vital tool for Greyhound to deliver its message that Ireland should be extracting all resources from its waste streams, not disposing of them to landfill.

“Longford Town Council recognises the environmental benefit of using biodiesel as a substitute for auto diesel and we hope their leadership will inspire all Irish local authorities to take up the fight against global warming.”
Before making the switch, Longford Town Council carried out extensive research into the use of biofuel. “We did our homework on this before deciding to change,” Mark explains.

“Teagasc have a crop research centre in Carlow and they were very helpful to us. But the two things we were looking for was a product which was made from waste and wouldn’t require us having to spend big money on conversion.
“We then got in touch with Greyhound and they agreed to supply us with biofuel that is made from recycled cooking oil which they collect from restaurants. The used oil is recognised as a problematic waste, and it’s great to think we are able to use it to run our vehicles.”
Longford Town Council initially used biofuel on three of their light commercials before extending its use to the rest of their fleet. The Council’s fleet includes a Volvo SLH Chassis road-sweeper, Mitsubishi Canter pick-up, Renault B110 pick-up/hoist, Seat Inca, Volkswagen Transporter, Volkswagen Caddy and two Peugeot Partners.
Biodiesel is marginally cheaper than regular diesel, costing EUR1 a litre, and that figure isn’t expected to increase in the foreseeable future.

“One of the advantages of using biodiesel is that you’re not at the mercy of the oil companies who can increase their prices at any time. You’re also helping to reduce imports as biofuel is produced here in Ireland.
“It must be pointed out that biodiesel is not suitable for every diesel engine. All our vehicles are low-pressure injection engines which are particularly suited to this type of product,” Mark adds.

In 2000, the Government launched a new national climate change strategy and in light of their changeover to biofuel, Mark claims that Longford Town Council has “more than met its obligations in this regard.” He added: “Longford County Council have started to follow in our footsteps by using biodiesel to fuel the vehicles used by their Environmental Section.”
Greyhound Recycling & Recovery was established in 1988 by brothers Brian and Michael Buckley, whose aim is to reach “zero waste to landfill” or, in business terms “diversion of waste from landfill into a valuable commodity”.

Recently, the company opened a new state-of-the-art recycling facility on an 11-acre site in Clondalkin, West Dublin at a cost of EUR15 million. The facility is one of Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Relay Centres, and is part of the Fusion Programme run by InterTrade Ireland. Employing over 150 people, Greyhound Recycling & Recovery provides nationwide waste management services. The company recovers cardboard, metals, wood and plastics, as well as recycled cooking oil for the production of biodiesel.
In conclusion, Mark McNerney would encourage any local authority to convert to biodiesel.
“I can’t see any downside to it to be honest with you. It’s something that can be done immediately, and the beauty of it is that if you’re not happy with it, you can switch back to diesel at any time. But from our experience, I think that anyone who changes over to biodiesel won’t be switching back in a hurry.”