What runs cleaner, gets around quieter and outweighs four elephants? A 25-ton garbage truck powered by compressed natural gas. Domestically abundant and increasingly popular as an alternative to petroleum-based diesel and gasoline, compressed natural gas might make a comeback as Metro, local governments and the solid waste industry consider the possibilities for waste-collection vehicles.
The fuel, ahead of its time three decades ago when only smaller engines could use it, now represents a more sustainable option for larger trucks, too. It costs less, burns cleaner, yields quieter vehicles and may open the door to other alternatives such as biomethane.
To further explore potential benefits, regional partners and industry will attend a Monday forum sponsored by Metro, the Columbia-Willamette Clean Cities Coalition and businesses. Participants will get an up-close look at a garbage truck powered by compressed natural gas and discuss the technology, tax incentives, air-quality initiatives and regional fueling options.
The Metro region generates 2.6 million tons of waste each year, of which approximately 59% is recovered through recycling or other means. Of the remaining 1.2 million tons disposed, approximately 532,000 tons comes through Metro's Oregon City and Northwest Portland transfer stations and is trucked to the Columbia Ridge Landfill in Gilliam County, which is 145 miles east of Portland.
Metro's ten-year contract to haul waste to the landfill calls for at least a 90 percent decrease in emissions through the use of diesel filters on trucks, provisions to decrease carbon dioxide through fuel consumption incentives and the use of biodiesel blends. The use of trucks powered by compressed natural gas would contribute significantly to these goals and to Metro's commitment to sustainability and a healthy environment.