Dive Brief:
- An expanded compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling facility has opened at a Louisiana landfill to fuel Progressive Waste Solutions' trucks that provide residential services in the area. The CNG will be converted from waste collected by Progressive and disposed of at the St. Landry Parish landfill.
- Progressive purchased 10 new CNG waste trucks in 2015 and will use the gas generated at the landfill rather than build a fueling station, according to a press release.
- BioCNG LLC, which partnered with the district to develop the original system, designed the new BioCNG station format, which is the first of its kind in the United States as reported in Waste360.
Dive Insight:
The St. Landry Parish BioCNG facility was expanded to support a fuel purchase agreement between the St. Landry Solid Waste Commission and Progressive Waste Solutions. The vehicle fueling system, which can support other users in the area, includes an additional BioCNG system and a remote CNG fueling station in Opelousas, LA.
The project is a continuation of Progressive Waste’s steadfast focus on CNG, and fits in trend for the continuation of an industry-wide shift to natural gas vehicles. Progressive Waste now has over 550 CNG trucks spanning 11 markets, and plans to stay with this focus for a cleaner and more cost-efficient business model. By 2019, the company plans on having 18% to 20% of its fleet powered by natural gas, according to Waste360.
Other waste industry giants, like Republic Services and Waste Management, are focusing on CNG trucks as a way to increase sustainability while keeping fleets efficient. Some industry legislation, like Congress' finalized $300 billion transportation bill, is also helping haulers make the switch to compressed natural gas.
