Veolia ES Solid Waste, the solid waste division of Veolia Environmental Services North America Corp. (VESNA), announced the introduction of a fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered refuse trucks to its Waunakee, WI, service area.
Veolia has invested in 13 new CNG-powered trucks and a CNG fueling infrastructure that includes 48 fueling bays, allowing for future expansion of the fleet as required to support the community’s needs.
“This fleet of CNG trucks will serve over 25,000 households across the greater Madison area, as well as the single-stream recycling needs of over 5,000 commercial and industrial customers across Dane, Green and Sauk counties,” said Jim Long, president & CEO of Veolia ES Solid Waste, Inc.
“We are very proud to be the first private sector company to bring CNG technology to the state of Wisconsin,” Long added. “Having been based in Milwaukee for many years and with a long history serving customers throughout Wisconsin, this investment is extremely meaningful for us.”
CNG produces 29% less carbon dioxide than oil and is 90% cleaner than diesel in its natural state, thus reducing the trucks’ overall operating impact on the environment, Long said. The CNG trucks also run approximately 15% (8-10 decibels) quieter than trucks powered with diesel engines, reducing the noise trucks generate while on route, he added.
The Waunakee fueling infrastructure utilizes time-fill fueling technology that allows drivers to fuel their trucks during overnight hours, minimizing administrative and operational downtime. The site will continue to use diesel-powered collection trucks to collect industrial and commercial waste, but will be replacing those trucks with CNG-powered models over the next two years. The natural gas is being provided to the site by Madison Gas & Electric.
As of 2012, Veolia operates four CNG fueling stations and over 100 CNG-powered refuse collection and support vehicles in North America.
