Green vehicles powered by biogas for park rangers

The six-month trial being carried out by Sheffield Council will involve 10 gas-powered vehicles which use biomethane collected from organic waste.

Six of those vans will be used by the rangers and the other four by people working for Sheffield Council's environmental services department.

Leader of Sheffield Council Paul Scriven said: "By beginning to replace our fleet with these kind of new green vehicles we are showing our commitment to reducing Sheffield's carbon emissions.

"It will undoubtedly contribute to our goal of Sheffield becoming as sustainable as possible.

"It's also important to prove that these vans can do exactly the same jobs as the petrol and diesel vehicles, but without the air pollution that spoils the local environment."

Fuel for the vehicles will be provided by the Chesterfield BioGas company, which is supplying a biomethane gas filling station at the council depot on Staniforth Road.

Sheffield Council's environment spokesman Shaffaq Mohammed said: "Our project provides us with a real opportunity to reduce its carbon emissions from transport and help tackle climate change through the use of renewable fuel.

"I hope other large organisations in our region will see the success and follow suit. Not only is it a sound commercial option, but it is the best option if we want to preserve our environment for future generations."

After the trial period has finished, the project will be evaluated to see not only how much money has been saved, but also the environmental benefits that may have been achieved.