Billion-Dollar Investment in CNG Fleet

With the largest fleet of vocational heavy-duty trucks in North America, Waste Management continually tests new technologies and operating practices to lower our fuel use. When it comes to natural gas engines and fuel, we have been a leader in transitioning our fleet from diesel fuel to clean natural gas, an effort that goes as far back as 1992.

We currently have more than 4,000 natural gas trucks operating in communities across North America – almost 25 percent of our collection fleet. This is the largest fleet of heavy-duty natural gas trucks in North America.

Reducing Greenhouse Gasses

Up to 90 percent of new trucks purchased run on compressed natural gas (CNG). For every diesel truck replaced with natural gas, we reduce our use of diesel fuel by an average of 8,000 gallons annually and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 22 metric tons per year, which equates to a 21 percent GHG emissions reduction per truck.

Trucks fueled by natural gas are quieter than diesel and cut smog-producing nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 50 percent compared with the cleanest diesel trucks. In total, we’ve invested more than $1 billion in natural gas transportation innovation over the last two decades.

Extending environmental performance

Hybrids are another means of reducing emissions in our fleet. In recent years, we have been transitioning diesel-powered bulldozers, which are important pieces of equipment used at our landfills, to diesel-electric hybrid machines.

Currently, we operate the world’s largest fleet of Caterpillar D7E bulldozers, which run on a smaller diesel engine powered by an electric generator. Our 30 diesel-electric bulldozers burn nearly 50 percent less fuel per hour than their predecessors.

Finally, we work with the U.S. EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, which assists companies seeking to make improvements in their fleets’ environmental performance and provides models for tracking fuel consumption and efficiency. We have been a member since 2010 and were the first company with a vocational fleet to become a SmartWay Partner.