U.S. Foodservice-Atlanta claims it is the first major foodservice distributor in Georgia to fuel its entire delivery fleet with biodiesel. The distributor is using B5 fuel, a 5-percent blend of diesel made from vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled restaurant greases, to run its 185 tractor-trailers.
Despite costing about a penny more per gallon, U.S. Foodservice-Atlanta says using biodiesel is part of the company's overall strategy to reduce its impact on the environment. The company estimates it will reduce the fleet's CO2 emissions by nearly 788,000 pounds or about four percent annually. The company is also saving fuel by reducing truck idle time.
In addition, the biodiesel is locally sourced and refined from S.A. White Oil Co. of Marietta, Ga.
Other environmental efforts implemented by the company include the use of T8 fluorescent lamps in its warehouse, which reduced energy use by 18 percent, and recovery and recycling programs that have decreased waste by 55 percent.
U.S. Foodservice divisions in Streator, Ill., and Plymouth, Minn., already use biodiesel.
Other firms are evaluating the continued use of biodiesel.
Central Hudson, a New York utility, has been using biodiesel for its fleet of heavy duty trucks, but recently decided to add eight hybrids to the fleet. After evaluating the cost and performance, Central Hudson may decide to go one way or the other.