WM opens 50th natural gas fueling station

A significant milestone

Jackson, Miss. – On July 31, Waste Management opened its 50th natural gas fueling station in North America, which will help to power an entire fleet of alternative fueled trucks. Located in Jackson, the new facility hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by state, county and local officials, as well as WM leadership.

“I have been in this business for 30 years and I can tell you that what we’ve done here is extraordinary,” said Eric Woods, vice president of fleet and supply chain for WM. “For each diesel truck produced in 2006 or earlier that we replace with a natural gas one, we see an average annual reduction of 8,000 gallons of diesel and 22 metric tons of greenhouse gases.”

Woods added that with the company’s 32,000 collection and support vehicles, the conversion makes business sense, since the company will save significantly on diesel fuel and maintenance.

The new station will serve compressed natural gas (CNG), which considered one of the cleanest alternative fuels available for heavy-duty trucks. Not only that, it will also be made available to Jackson municipalities, businesses and the public. Since WM owns the station, it is able to purchase the fuel at competitive prices.

In total, the company operates more than 2,200 alternatively fueled vehicles and has the largest fleet of natural gas collection trucks in North America.

“Natural gas-powered collection trucks run cleaner and quieter,” said James Funderburg, senior district manager. “They also provide our customers and communities with a top-notch level of service and minimal impact on the environment.”

Picture: Government officials and guests joined Waste Management employees to formally open its new CNG fueling station.