Northern Ireland waste-management firm invests in 2 HVO-powered glass-collection trucks
Northern Ireland’s leading waste- and resource-management company, RiverRidge, announced Aug. 27 a significant investment in its glass waste-collection service following receipt of two new state-of-the-art biofuel vehicles that will see the company increase its footprint and service offering across the region.
The introduction of the new 16-ton vehicles will enable RiverRidge to service its growing customer base across Northern Ireland, including the Merchant Hotel in Belfast, with which it recently secured an extensive new service-level agreement.
The expanded service will see all glass waste collected from customers across the region managed in-house by RiverRidge, eliminating the need for subcontractors and therefore reducing the carbon footprint of the company’s collection services.
This is something of particular importance to RiverRidge, which, in the launch of its inaugural ESG report earlier this year, committed to reducing the carbon cost of its collection services by 90 percent by 2040 through the upgrade of its fleet, increased route density and the transition to alternative fuels.
The latest additions to RiverRidge’s fleet run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel, also known as renewable diesel, which offers up to 90 percent carbon savings compared to regular diesel.
Made from plant waste, oils and fats, HVO supports the circular economy and is a more sustainable alternative, but still offers the same—if not better—performance as traditional diesel fuel.
“The expansion of our glass waste-collection service will offer our customers a more extensive service offering,” said RiverRidge CEO Brett Ross. “From general, food and oil, and dry mixed-recycling waste collections, they can utilize one company for all with the confidence that their waste is being treated in the most environmentally friendly way. The hospitality and retail food sectors particularly require a reliable and dependable collection service, and we pride ourselves on our ability to deliver that across all sectors. As part of our ESG strategy, we have committed to more sustainable ways of working, and helping our customers to address the environmental cost of waste and resource management. The addition of the new biofuel glass-collections vehicles is one way that can help us achieve that.”
James Sinton, the group finance director of Beannchor, spoke about the new service level agreement with RiverRidge, saying, “When we were looking for a new provider, we wanted a supplier that not only aligned with our own sustainability goals but could comprehensively deal with all our waste and resource needs. We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment, and working towards being a more sustainable business, planet and society. RiverRidge’s all-inclusive service offering and clear ESG goals gave us the confidence that our waste is being treated in the most environmentally friendly way. We look forward to seeing the impact of both our actions throughout the partnership.”
The new glass-collection vehicles, Mactip 180s, were procured for RiverRidge by Antrim-based MacPac Refuse Bodies.
The vehicles are the latest XB spec with the most up-to-date safety equipment and emission-saving engines, contributing to the company’s sustainability commitment.
They are fitted with the industry-leading weighing equipment, the EnviroWeigh dynamic bin-weighing system, which allows the company to monitor and record the weight of each individual bin that can then be included in a customizable report for customers.
“We are delighted to add the Mactip 180s to our fleet—a robust, durable and quality solution that will service the growing needs of our customer base across Northern Ireland,” said Stephen Thompson, group transport manager at RiverRidge. “The vehicles are specifically designed for the collection of glass waste, and working together with MacPac, which offers a full repair and maintenance package provided by Stewarts, ensures that our fleet remains one of the freshest, safest and most efficient in the region. This offers assurance to our customers that they are getting the highest level of service within the waste- and resource-management sector across the region.”
Ross added, “At RiverRidge, we want to offer our customers more than just a waste-collection service. We want to help them meet their sustainability goals and see the impact of and better understand the carbon impact of their own operations. That’s why, in addition to the investment we have made in our fleet, we are making significant investment in software to enable progression to advanced carbon reporting (scope 3), which is due for launch later this year. By illustrating these carbon-offset figures, it shows the benefits of scope 1, 2 and 3 for customers, and allows them to see tangible results of their emissions.”
