Waste Management Deploys 6,000th Natural Gas Refuse Truck, Opens 100th Natural Gas Fueling Station

Waste Management announced today a significant milestone in its natural gas fleet journey, opening its 100^th natural gas fueling station. At a ceremony in Oklahoma City, industry representatives, local and state officials joined the company to dedicate the fueling station. The company also celebrated a significant milestone of operating 6,000 natural gas trucks, which is the largest heavy duty fleet of its kind in North America.

“This milestone is a testament to Waste Management’s commitment to natural gas vehicles and to the environmental, economic, and energy security benefits they provide,” said Kathryn Clay, Interim Executive Director for NGVAmerica. “Waste Management’s leadership shows the way toward a cleaner transportation system based on natural gas fuels.”

In just five years, the company’s transformation has seen a five-fold increase in the number of natural gas trucks deployed and the number of fueling stations in place. Their signature green and yellow refuse trucks operate in cities throughout the country, providing refuse and recycling collection for communities. An industry leader, Waste Management’s efforts demonstrate that day-after-day, natural gas vehicles get the job done while providing lower-emissions, quieter operation, and reliable service. As a result of Waste Management’s leadership, many other refuse operators are making the move to natural gas.

“Waste Management’s mission is to maximize resource value, while minimizing environmental impact so that our customers, our company, our economy and our environment can thrive,” said Jim Trevathan, Waste Management executive vice president and chief operating officer. “Today’s milestone is certainly a stellar example of this, and we’re proud to be the leader in the adoption of natural gas for our heavy duty fleet and we plan to do even more!”

Waste Management’s newly-deployed trucks are powered by Cummins Westport’s low-NOx natural gas engines. These engines are over eighty percent cleaner than the current federal emission standards, providing significant emission reductions of ozone-forming pollutants, resulting in cleaner air for the communities they serve. Waste Management also is a leader in developing and using renewable natural gas (RNG), produced at landfills turning trash into clean, green energy used to power its trucks. RNG-powered vehicles offset greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent.

“NGVAmerica today offers it congratulations to a true industry leader,” said NGVAmerica Chairman Mitchell Pratt. “The benefits of natural gas and its ability to transform transportation in America while reducing foreign energy dependency and creating jobs is undeniable, it is great to be able to point to true success stories like Waste Management.”