WM Green Fleet Will Deliver Cleaner Air for Lower Mainland

Waste Management Teams with Terasen Gas to Bring 20 New “Clean Air” Trucks to Vancouver

Life in downtown Vancouver and throughout Lower Mainland communities will soon be cleaner and quieter, thanks to a new sustainability initiative from Waste Management and Terasen Gas. Beginning this week, Waste Management will deploy 20 new “clean air” trucks to collect commercial recycling, food waste and garbage throughout the Lower Mainland and Metro Vancouver area.

The new trucks are part of a larger, long-term initiative to convert Waste Management’s entire Lower Mainland and Metro Vancouver fleet –- 100 recycling and waste collection trucks in all -- to compressed natural gas (CNG).

The trucks are powered by clean-burning compressed natural gas (CNG) for a smaller carbon footprint. They will deliver distinct environmental benefits for the Lower Mainland, including nearly zero air particulate and 23 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions. The engines also run quieter than traditional diesel engines, resulting in quieter trucks and less noise in Vancouver’s urban core.

“This initiative is all about clean air for the Lower Mainland and Metro Vancouver,” said Dean Kattler, vice president for Waste Management-BC and Pacific Northwest. “Transitioning to clean air trucks to serve Lower Mainland communities and businesses shows Waste Management is listening to our customers and championing BC’s bid to sustain its position as a world-class sustainability leader.”

The contribution from Terasen Gas helped offset the incremental cost of the clean air trucks. Terasen, which recently announced it will be renamed and operate under the brand name FortisBC, just completed construction of a state-of-the art CNG fueling station at the Waste Management site at Coquitlam, where the trucks will fuel up.

“With significantly lower emissions and lower fuel costs, natural gas vehicles have a role in helping BC meet its environmental goals,” said Doug Stout, vice president, Energy Solutions and External Relations at Terasen Gas and FortisBC. “Our collaboration with Waste Management is an excellent opportunity to showcase the technology in the region where it is developed and encourage greater adoption of natural gas for transportation.”

Waste Management operates the largest fleet of clean air CNG recycling and waste trucks in North America. Deploying the new CNG fleet in Vancouver will help WM achieve its sustainability goal of reducing fleet emissions by 15 percent and increasing fuel efficiency by 15 percent by 2020.

Throughout the Lower Mainland, WM provides innovative recycling services as well as waste collection for single-family, multi-family, commercial and industrial customers.

ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste Management is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is the largest recycler in North America and also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. For more information about Waste Management, visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.

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