CNG fuels waste collection in the festive season.
Waste Management (WM), a leading provider of integrated environmental solutions in North America, says it aims to face climate challenges head-on. As an outcome of this dedication to improved emissions outcomes, WM now operates more than 5,000 natural gas vehicles in North America. The company has just released its 2015 Sustainability Report, demonstrating the viability of natural gas as a transportation fuel.
“One of our primary strategies for reducing emissions is to transfer our fleet of 18,500 collection vehicles from diesel to cleaner-burning natural gas. In fact, we’ve been a pioneer in natural gas since the early 1990s. Today, we have more than 5,000 natural gas collection trucks on the road, which makes us the largest private vocational heavy duty fleet user of natural gas in the nation.”
WM reports:
- Ongoing fleet expansion with up to 90 percent of new trucks purchased in 2015 running on compressed natural gas (CNG).
- Every diesel truck replaced with natural gas saves an average of 8,000 gallons annually.
- Every diesel truck replaced reduces GHG emissions by 22 metric tons per year, which equates to a 21 percent GHG emissions reduction per truck.
- Natural-gas fueled trucks are quieter than diesel trucks to operate.
- Natural gas-fueled trucks cut smog-producing nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 50 percent compared with the cleanest diesel trucks.
WM’s deep involvement with natural gas for transportation, which has resulted in more than $1 billion being invested over the past two decades, makes it a respected and valued sector leader in North America. It shares its expertise by way of the U.S. EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, which assists companies seeking to make improvements in their fleet’s environmental performance and provides models for tracking fuel consumption and efficiency.
Renewable Natural Gas
Where possible the company utilises renewable natural gas (RNG) as a vehicle fuel. RNG is a natural gas produced from biogas generated at landfills or anaerobic digesters. In total, nearly one third of our fleet uses biogas and 100% of our fleet in California runs on RNG.
WM has invested in plants to convert landfill gas for use in vehicles, thereby powering trucks from their own waste collection: “At the Altamont Landfill in California in 2005, WM collaborated to build the world’s largest plant to convert landfill gas to liquefied natural gas (LNG), a completely renewable fuel. The plant produces up to 13,000 gallons of RNG per day, fuel which is utilised by WM and other fleets. The LNG represents a 90% reduction in GHGs as compared to diesel. Since its inception, the plant has produced more than 16 million gallons of LNG for use in trucks.”
WM also operates two other RNG facilities, one at their Milam Landfill in Illinois and the other at American Landfill in Ohio, producing fuel for pipeline injection equivalent to supply for 470 and 400 trucks respectively.
Infrastructure
Recognising that such a strategy is dependent on availability of infrastructure, WM opened 12 fuelling stations in 2015, lifting its total to 84 stations in North America and Canada as of the first quarter of 2016, with 30 percent of these stations opened to the public.
Recognition
WM has received several awards in recognition of its commitment to emissions reduction. At NGV Global’s 14th Biennial Conference and Exhibition at Long Beach, CA in May 2014, Marty Tufte, Corporate Fleet Director, and Chip Wertz, Director, Fleet Facility Infrastructure were recognised for their roles in building WM’s NGV fleet, nominated by Parker Hannifin.
Waste Management is a member of NGVAmerica and associate member of NGV Global.
(Source: Waste Management)
