Waste Management Announces Plans for Clean-Burning Natural Gas for its Columbus Area Fleet
Waste Management today announced plans to convert to clean burning natural gas-powered trucks for its waste and recycling collection operations in Columbus, Ohio. This will be Waste Management’s first fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks in Ohio. A new CNG fueling facility will also be installed at the company’s Canal Winchester location. "This new fueling facility will give us the direct capability to fuel a CNG fleet in the Columbus area, and with the CNG fleet, we’ll lower our fleet emissions, helping to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. This demonstrates our commitment to being a positive environmental contributor to the communities we serve," said Frank Fello, senior district manager for Waste Management of Ohio. "The transitioning of our 55 trucks to CNG fits within our sustainability goals and our company's overall strategy to minimize our environmental footprint. It also complements our position as the largest residential recycler and a leading waste-to-energy operator in North America," Fello added. The trucks will emit nearly zero air particulates and up to 25 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions. The engines also run quieter than traditional diesel engines, reducing noise during collection operations on community streets. The trucks, which use a "slow-fill" procedure to achieve greater engine efficiency, carry approximately 50 gallons of CNG. This capacity allows them to run 10 to 12 hours and complete a typical day’s waste or recycling collection route. Waste Management’s fleet of about 1,000 CNG and liquefied (LNG) vehicles are the largest in the North American waste industry. As part of the company’s annual fleet conversion, Waste Management expects 80 percent of its new collection vehicle purchases to be natural gas powered trucks. It currently has natural gas fueling stations at 17 facilities throughout North America and more under development. Waste Management is embracing clean fuel technology across North America and part of its sustainability goals include lowering emissions by 15 percent and increasing the fuel efficiency of its fleet by 15 percent by the year 2020. The company also is responding to local governmental customers who have asked Waste Management to expand its use of the cleaner burning vehicles as they pursue steps in their municipalities to achieve local environmental sustainability goals. ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, 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 residential recycler in North America and 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. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.
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