US Foodservice-Atlanta has become the first major foodservice distributor in Georgia to run its entire delivery fleet on biodiesel fuel.
All of the Atlanta division’s 185 tractors and 210 trailers began using biodiesel fuel recently after its first 7,500-gallon delivery of B5, a blend of diesel containing 5% biodiesel, a form of diesel fuel made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases. Biodiesel is a sustainable, renewable alternative to diesel fuel that can reduce greenhouse gases and other emissions.
The biodiesel fuel costs on average about a penny more per gallon. Its use is expected to reduce the US Foodservice-Atlanta fleet’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by nearly 788,000 pounds—or about 4%—annually. That’s roughly the equivalent of taking 65 cars off the road or of planting more than 3,150 trees every year. The biodiesel is locally sourced and refined, a product of SA White Oil Co of Marietta GA.
US Foodservice-Atlanta has a leadership role in several local, regional, and state efforts to promote and protect the environment. These include the Georgia DNR Project, Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia, and the Atlanta Zero Waste Zone. The division, which serves the entire state of Georgia and operations in parts of Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina, already has a number of “green” achievements to its credit. These include:
•Reducing electrical consumption by 18% with the use of T8 fluorescent lamps in its warehouse operations.
•Decreasing waste by 55% via recovery and recycling.
•Saving fuel by decreasing truck idle time below 2%.
Atlanta is the third US Foodservice division to use biodiesel in its fleet. It joins divisions in Streator IL and Plymouth MN.
US Foodservice offers more than 43,000 national, private label, and signature brand items and an array of services to its more than 250,000 customers. The company employs 26,000 associates in more than 60 locations nationwide.
