WAUNAKEE, WI – Veolia ES Solid Waste, Inc., the solid waste division of Veolia Environmental Services North America Corp., announced the introduction of a fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered refuse trucks to its Waunakee, Wis., service area. A ceremony attended by Wisconsin officials, Veolia executives and members of the Waunakee community was held today at the Veolia ES Solid Waste – Waunakee location to celebrate the company’s new fleet and CNG fueling station.
“We are very proud to be the first private sector company to bring CNG technology to the state of Wisconsin,” said Jim Long, president and CEO of Veolia ES Solid Waste, Inc. “Having been based in Milwaukee for many years and with a long history serving customers throughout Wisconsin, this investment is extremely meaningful for us.”
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,” Long explained.
Customers will immediately notice the new fleet out on the streets. The truck bodies are wrapped with eye-catching decals showcasing the city of Madison. More importantly, the new CNG trucks run approximately 15 percent (8-10 decibels) quieter than trucks powered with diesel engines, reducing the noise trucks generate while on route. The trucks also come equipped with automated collection systems that increase efficiency and protect the safety of drivers by keeping them in the cab instead of on the curb.
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.
CNG is one of the cleanest and most socially responsible alternative fuels available today, making the benefits of CNG from both an environmental and economic standpoint hard to ignore. Over 98 percent of CNG fuel resources are located in North America, which means there is a reduced carbon footprint associated with mining the resources and transporting the fuel to domestic locations as compared to foreign oil and offshore drilling. CNG also produces 29 percent less carbon dioxide than oil and is 90 percent cleaner than diesel in its natural state, thus reducing the trucks’ overall operating impact on the environment.
As of 2012, Veolia operates four CNG fueling stations and more than 100 CNG-powered refuse collection and support vehicles in North America.
