Refrigerated transport firm McCulla will provide bio-methane fuelled delivery trucks for Lidl Northern Island, as it becomes the first UK retailer to use in-store food waste to power its fleet.
In the coming weeks, food waste from all 41 Lidl Northern Ireland stores will be collected to fuel the bio-methane trucks. McCulla will start to create fully renewable bio-methane gas at its anaerobic digester (AD) plant in Lisburn.
Ashley McCulla, chairman of McCulla, said: “Since 2017 we have been producing all of our own electricity from an AD plant at our site in Lisburn, but our ultimate goal was always to use energy produced by the AD plant to power our logistics fleet as well.
“Working with Lidl Northern Ireland, we’ve delivered on that ambition and we’re honoured to be part of a real first for the industry, and for Northern Ireland.
“For many retailers dedicated to decarbonisation, transport and logistics can be challenging. However, with our expertise and experience and dedicated partnership with Lidl Northern Ireland, this milestone initiative will deliver major environmental benefits for years to come.”
According to the collaboration, the new Iveco S-WAY 4×2 trucks, supplied by NI Trucks, will deliver improved efficiencies and reduce carbon emissions on retail deliveries. It predicts the switch to bio-methane trucks will cut carbon emissions by up to 93%.
Conor Boyle, regional director of Lidl Northern Ireland, said: “This partnership with McCulla underlines our commitment to developing sustainable and innovative solutions which create real impact in every area of our business.
“We’re thrilled to now be the first supermarket retailer to successfully integrate the first waste-to-energy sustainable transport model. McCulla’s fleet covers more than 2,300 road miles per day, ensuring the safe and timely delivery of fresh and chilled foods to more than 300,000 weekly customers across our regional store network.”
