Continuing with its nationwide rollout, Waste Management added 23 new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) waste collection vehicles to its fleet in Ventura County.

These next generation CNG waste collection vehicles boasts several benefits: The CNG engines are 50% quieter than comparable diesel engines and emit 95% less particulate matter (PM) also known as soot and 90% less carbon monoxide (CO) than their diesel counterparts. They are also cleaner burning than "low sulfur" diesel engines.

“Waste Management is committed to lead the waste industry with advanced technology that will foster a cleaner, greener world,” said Mike Smith, director of operations for Waste Management of Ventura County. “The investment in these CNG vehicles is one more step towards improving air quality and meeting the growing needs of the cities and customers we serve.”

The addition of alternative fuel vehicles in Ventura County is part of Waste Management’s commitment to a larger corporate sustainability goal of reducing fleet emissions by 15 percent and increasing fuel efficiently by 15 percent by 2020.

Waste Management already operates more than 1,400 CNG vehicles in North America, which is the largest fleet of CNG recycling and collection trucks on the continent. Locally, Waste Management operates 58 percent of its fleet on alternative fuel vehicles, including Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and CNG.

Each class 8 diesel truck replaced with a natural gas vehicle reduces diesel use by an average of 8,000 gallons per year and cuts annual greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 22 metric tons.