Municipal Solid Waste

Jersey City, New Jersey, invests in electric waste vehicles

Jersey City, New Jersey, Mayor Steven Fulop announced July 13 that the city has invested in electric vehicles for its municipal fleet. These investments include waste trucks from China-based BYD and police vehicles, making its municipal fleet the first on the East Coast to feature fully electric garbage trucks and one of the first to invest in electric police vehicles, Fulop says.

According to a city spokesperson, the waste vehicles will be delivered in roughly four to six months, and will be used to collect refuse from the city's litter baskets, parks and public facilities, with the potential for expanded use in the future. These vehicles are expected to be able to run for a week on a single charge.

These infrastructure advancements fall under the mayor’s executive order to require 10 percent of all new municipal fleet vehicles to be fully electric this year where available, with a goal of 100 percent of new municipal fleet vehicles to be fully electric by 2030.

“As an administration, we have sought out innovative and resourceful ways to build a foundation for a more resilient and sustainable future, which is critical now more than ever amid the current crisis,” Fulop says. “Transitioning to greener technology is a cost-saving, long-term investment benefiting our environment and our residents’ health. We’re leading the country in electrification, utilizing grants and community feedback to build an infrastructure that will serve as a model for others around the nation.”

“Mayor Fulop is turning Jersey City into a national leader when it comes to the environment and dealing with climate change. ... In an area like Jersey City, cars and trucks are major sources of pollution. This will help everyone breathe easier while moving forward when it comes to cleaner transportation,” Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, says. “Mayor Fulop has also committed to go 100 percent renewable and is moving the city forward with a climate action plan. He is an environmental leader and is now accelerating Jersey City into the future when it comes to clean transportation."