Dive Brief:

• Republic Services has opened its second compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station in Long Beach, CA in partnership with Clean Energy.
• The company began using alternative fuel vehicles in its local fleet in 2008 and recently added 56 CNG collection trucks. This brings the number of CNG trucks in Long Beach to 147 out of a total 191 — more than 75% of the fleet.
• Nationwide, Republic now has 38 natural gas fueling station and nearly 2,500 CNG trucks. The company estimates that this saved approximately 21 million gallons of diesel fuel last year.

Dive Insight:

With support from many elected officials, this project helps California move toward its environmental goals and adds to the list of work being done through Republic's Blue Planet sustainability initiative. According to Republic, its CNG fleet is the equivalent of planting about 10.7 million trees per year. The company now has CNG collection trucks in markets such as South Florida, Springfield, MO, Denver, CO, and others. 

Many companies have begun shifting their fleets toward CNG, including some which convert gas from their landfills for fueling. Waste Management, Waste Pro, Advanced Disposal and Waste Connections are among the largest companies to make this investment. In addition to helping companies meet their environmental goals, this often saves money too.

Clean Energy has been particularly active on the infrastructure side of this expansion, working with both private and municipal fleets. While New York's Department of Sanitation has said it can be challenging to find space for the new fueling stations, other cities such as Atlanta have found the technology feasible and worthwhile. CNG is currently one of the most popular alternative fuel options for collection trucks and can be expected to continue gaining prevalence in fleets across the country.