Opinion

From 1 April the waste and recycling sector will lose its entitlement to using red diesel in plant and equipment. This will result in our members (along with companies from a range of other industry sectors), having to use higher priced white diesel. This will not only have a significant financial, operational and investment impact across key industries, but will also have a profound effect on customers, suppliers, contractors and, ultimately, consumers.

The 2021 G7 Summit brought further environmental commitments from world leaders, including the scaling up of zero emission vehicle technologies. Similar sentiments are expected to be shared at the much-anticipated COP26 later this year. It is now widely acknowledged that the pace of decarbonisation in road transport must dramatically increase within this decade, with a pledge made to follow the UK’s lead in phasing out traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by 2030.

The UK Government is determined to establish role model status on the world stage regarding climate and electric vehicles (EVs), so it’s important to recognise that there is still a lot of work left to do in this country, including at a local government level. For example, around 230 local authorities have declared climate emergencies across the UK and are still in the early stages of cultivating zero-emission operations, specifically in the fleet space.