Solid Waste Industry Uses Science to Improve Quality of Life

Waste Haulers Conserving Energy with Hybrid and Alternative Fuel Trucks

Waste collectors are concerned about conserving energy and keeping their operations as efficient as possible. Our industry is employing different innovations to make this happen.

One of the largest costs of the solid waste industry is the cost of energy used to fuel garbage trucks, so companies are working with manufacturers to develop more fuel efficient, cleaner-burning vehicles powered with alternative fuels and using hybrid engines. Hybrid technology is particularly promising for garbage trucks because of their stop-and-go nature.

America’s solid waste industry is experimenting with different alternative fuels to power our fleets. The industry has for years invested in trucks fueled by liquefied natural gas, ultra-low sulfur fuel and other low-emission fuels.  Now, many operators are looking to alternative fuels like biodiesel and even methane gas from landfills to run their trucks.

Waste companies are also using routing software and GPS systems to make routes more efficient, regularly checking tire pressure, and being vigilant about routine maintenance in order to make fleets more efficient than ever before.

There are 136,000 garbage trucks operating in the United States, and most of these still are diesel powered. However, refuse trucks have become the most rapidly growing natural gas vehicle sector in the nation. From 2002 to 2006, the number of cities using alternative fuel garbage trucks increased from 26 to 57. Both alternative fuel and hybrid trucks have been used in many cities, including San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Fort Worth and Denver.

In addition to using less fuel and reducing costs, these new trucks generally emit less particulate matter and nitrogen oxide helping improve air quality. A study of natural gas engines just completed for the California Air Resources Board found that trucks employing these technologies could dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In an article about garbage trucks using alternative fuels, Joanna Underwood, president of Energy Vision, a national environmental organization, stated that "Putting trucks like these into operation in the New York area and all across the country is one of the best strategies available today for reducing air pollution and cutting greenhouse gases."

With more than 130,000 total trucks collecting waste and recyclables in U.S. cities, these efforts combined will significantly reduce greenhouse emissions and improve air quality.

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