CYNTHIANA, KY - E-Z Pack Manufacturing, a refuse truck body manufacturer for more than 60 years, announced that Waste Pro USA's first-ever compressed natural gas (CNG) solid waste collection truck has rolled off E-Z Pack's assembly line and into the Atlanta market.

The vehicle, an E-Z Pack Hercules Front Loader body built on a 2012 Mack chassis, arrived in the Atlanta area on Feb. 3rd and is anticipated to be in operation later this month. CNG tanks are uniquely integrated in the upper rear of the vehicle body for optimized vehicle weight distribution and lower overall height. The body features greater ground clearance and, at 75 diesel gallon equivalents (DGEs), more fuel capacity than other CNG waste truck body options in the industry.

"E-Z Pack is proud to have played a prominent role in Waste Pro USA's move to reducing emissions and foreign energy dependency," said Jim Rogers, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at E-Z Pack.

In addition to being CNG-enabled, Rogers noted that the vehicle was built with two other environmentally friendly features: powder coat paint and "Quiet Hydraulics" technology. Oven-cured powder coat paint is "green technology" because, unlike the wet paint process, no VOC (volatile organic compounds) are emitted into the atmosphere. Powder coat paint is also more durable than liquid paint. "Quiet Hydraulics" is an E-Z Pack technology that reduces noise and improves fuel efficiencies.

"We care about the communities we serve and this first new truck is a testament to our commitment to reduce air and noise pollution," said John J. Jennings, President and CEO of Waste Pro USA. "We are still in the early innings of this initiative but it's important to celebrate a first milestone with our customers, partners and the communities that we serve."

"We challenged E-Z Pack to come up with a unique way to effectively manage weight distribution to meet the demands of our highway system," said Bob Nicholas, Corporate Fleet Manager at Waste Pro USA. "Plus, we wanted full productivity with low RPM and fuel-efficient operations. This truck will have no speed-up noise. It will work very quietly."

(Click on photo above for additional images).

"We're very proud of the technology that E-Z Pack and Mack have teamed up to create," Nichols added. "I am excited to be putting what I think is the best CNG truck in the industry on the road here in Atlanta."

In October 2011, Waste Pro USA announced the investment of $100 million to transition their fleet of heavy trucks from diesel fuel to cleaner burning CNG.  The investment also includes construction of state-of-the-art fueling facilities throughout the South. Groundbreaking for Waste Pro's first CNG refilling station facility in Fort Pierce, Florida is scheduled for February 16th, 2012. Waste Pro has partnered with Clean Energy, the largest provider of natural gas fuel and facilities in the country, to design and construct the Fort Pierce complex.