SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE Council has launched a new trial looking at how grass cuttings can be used to generate energy and reduce the authority’s carbon footprint.
The trial is part of a three-year UK-wide £30 million programme funded by the Department for Transport that aims to decarbonise the local highway network.
The council will use new machinery to cut and collect grass from highway verges and other green spaces.
The grass will be mixed with the council’s food waste and taken to an energy-from-waste plant where the mixture will be subject to a process called anaerobic digestion.
The innovation project, called Greenprint, will investigate potential new ways the cuttings could be used, including producing biogas, biomethane fuel for vehicles and an additive for asphalt road surfacing material called biochar.
It is hoped the Greenprint project will reduce the council’s carbon footprint, encourage wildflowers, help insects to thrive and allow the soil to store more carbon.
The new arrangements are to be piloted in selected areas of Yate with plans to roll it out to other parts of South Gloucestershire from next year.
South Gloucestershire Council has worked closely with Yate Town Council to identify the areas of grass to include.
The trial will last three years which will be followed by a further five years of monitoring of the environmental benefits, impact, and costs.
This information, as well as feedback from the community, will be used to decide whether to make the changes permanent.
Councillor Louise Harris, cabinet member with responsibility for the climate and nature emergency at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “This is an exciting innovative project which is considering new ways of working to help with our climate and nature emergency goals.
"Our green spaces are an important local amenity, but they also play a key part in supporting the nature recovery and how we manage a changing climate.
“Over the next three years South Gloucestershire will be a test bed for finding a way to reduce our carbon footprint when it comes to managing our highways, which if successful could eventually be replicated by local authorities across the country.”
Residents who want to know more can go online to www.southglos.gov.uk/greenprint
They can share their feedback on the trial via email climate.emergency@southglos.gov.uk
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