LOUISVILLE, KY – Waste Management has launched a new local fleet of 25 clean-burning CNG trucks and unveiled Louisville's first public-access, 24-hour compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station.

The fleet is the first of its kind in Kentucky, replacing heavy-duty collection trucks with new state-of-the-art vehicles that run on CNG, a cleaner-burning alternative to conventional gasoline or diesel fuel, according to the company. The new fueling station provides first-of-its-kind infrastructure in Louisville to serve commercial fleet managers and private individuals a ready supply of CNG fuel.

Waste Management is adding up to 25 CNG-powered collection vehicles in Louisville and will roll out additional CNG-powered collection vehicles in the area in the future. The public fueling station will refuel Waste Management's local fleet as well as sell CNG to commercial fleets and retail consumers with CNG-equipped vehicles.

"Since natural gas-powered collection trucks run cleaner and quieter, we've made the commitment to use more in our local operations and support sustainability in this community by opening a public CNG station," said Tim Wells, area vice president for Waste Management in Kentucky as well as Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee. "We are dedicated to providing our greater Louisville area customers with outstanding service while doing business here in the most sustainable manner possible."

According to the company, CNG is one of the cleanest fuels currently available for use in heavy-duty trucks. Its use reduces particulate matter emissions to up to 86 percent, carbon monoxide emissions by 80 percent, nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 32 percent, and carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent. As an additional benefit, CNG offers cost savings compared to traditional fuels and runs quieter than diesel trucks.

A scarcity of CNG fueling stations has limited broader use of CNG-powered vehicles. Waste Management collaborated with PetroCard to develop the first CNG fueling station in Louisville. The new Clean N' Green Fuel facility, funded by Waste Management and PetroCard, makes CNG available to commercial fleets — transit agencies, school districts, taxis, cities and municipalities — as well as private individuals with CNG-equipped vehicles.

The self-service station will be open 24/7 and accept major credit cards as well as Clean N' Green and other fleet cards such as Wright Express, Voyager and Fuelman.

The Louisville fueling station and local CNG vehicles are one element in Waste Management's broader sustainability efforts in Louisville and elsewhere around North America. In 2007, the company set a goal of reducing fleet emissions by 15 percent and increasing fuel efficiency by 15 percent by 2020.

"Waste Management already operates nearly 1,700 CNG vehicles, the largest fleet of CNG recycling and waste collection trucks in North America," said Wells. "Each additional Class 8 diesel truck we replace with natural gas reduces diesel use by an average of 8,000 gallons per year and cuts annual greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 22 metric tons."

In 2012, natural gas vehicles will represent 80 percent of Waste Management's annual new truck purchases and continue for the next five years. The company also has 31 fueling stations in North America and will have nearly 50 in operation by the end of this year.