Waste Management opens its 100th natural gas fueling station

Houston-based Waste Management (WM) has announced that it has opened its 100th natural gas fueling station. The company hosted a dedication ceremony in Oklahoma City that included industry representatives and local and state officials. WM now operates 6,000 natural gas trucks, which it claims is the largest heavy-duty fleet of its kind in North America.   

“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, WM 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.”

WM began using natural gas in its fleet in the early 1990s. The company established a goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and improve the efficiency of its on-road fleet by 15 percent by 2020 (based on 2007 levels). The goal was achieved in 2011, and with the increasing adoption of natural gas vehicles, the company says it continues to exceed this goal each year.

WM vehicles powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) emit nearly zero particulate emissions, cut greenhouse gas emissions and are quieter than diesel trucks, the company says.

For every diesel truck replaced with natural gas, WM reduces its use of diesel fuel by an average of 8,000 gallons per year along with a reduction of 14 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year (the equivalent of a 15 percent emissions reduction per truck).

“Waste Management invests in building our own fueling infrastructure to refuel our vehicles while making CNG available to other commercial fleets and individuals,” said Marty Tufte, WM corporate fleet director.  

The company operates 100 fueling stations in North America, 25 of which are open to the public. WM constructs its fueling stations, which it owns and operates, purchases the fuel and finances the construction of the stations.

WM says its trucks connect to fuel systems at the station and are refueled via a slow overnight process. At the company’s public access fueling stations, dedicated fast-fill pumps serve commercial and consumer vehicles.