WIH Resource Group
Waste Management & Logistical Solutions™
1
WIH Resource Group ~ 34975 N. North Valley Parkway, Suite 152 ~ Phoenix, Arizona ~ USA 85086
WIH RESOURCE GROUP
CNG Fuel Use in Refuse Collection Vehicles
White Paper Highlights
October 2008
National Refuse Collection Vehicle Statistics
In the United States approximately 136,000 refuse trucks operate and burn approximately 1.2 billion
gallons of diesel fuel a year, releasing almost 27 billion pounds of the greenhouse gas, CO2. Every
gallon of diesel fuel burnt emits more than 22 pounds of CO2. In addition to contributing to global
climate change, diesel-fueled trash trucks are one of the most concentrated sources of health-
threatening air pollution in virtually all cities. Unlike many other trucks or buses, refuse trucks travel
every residential street, stopping, starting and emitting harmful emissions throughout the communities
where they operate. Diesel fuel is a well-known source of harmful (carcinogenic) emissions.
The National Energy Policy Act, passed in 1992, requires that all companies with fleets of vehicles must
purchase vehicles that can use fuels other than gasoline or diesel in increasingly higher percentages
beginning with the federal government fleets in 1993. Federal, state and municipal government
agencies; fuel providers (such as electricity and natural gas utilities); and private companies all have an
obligation to purchase new alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs).
By 2006, 75 percent of new vehicles purchased by the federal government, 75 percent of state
vehicles, 90 percent of fuel providers, and 70 percent of municipal government and private fleets are
supposed to have been converted or replaced with AFVs.
When determining what alternative of fuels to use, private vehicle owners and fleet managers should
weigh all the factors: economics, available models, rebates, incentives, the ease of refueling and
number of fueling facilities. They should also consider whether the vehicle they choose is a