City of Albuquerque Announces Arrival of New Trash Collection Vehicles Powered by Alternative Fuel

Today, Mayor Tim Keller announced the arrival of the City of Albuquerque’s first trash collection truck powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The truck is the first of four that are set to arrive the beginning of next year as the city explores the use of new and alternative fuels for larger fleet vehicles.

“We have to act now to preserve our natural resources and create a cleaner and more sustainable future for our families and community,” stated Mayor Tim Keller. “This gets us one step closer to achieving our goal of having 100% of our eligible fleet vehicles running on alternative fuels.”

Over the next several years, the City plans to transition more trash and recycling collection vehicles from diesel to CNG. CNG vehicles have less complicated emission controls which allows them to meet the stringent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emission standards with more ease than a traditional fuel vehicle. In addition, when older diesel collection trucks are replaced with CNG trucks the overall lifecycle of harmful air pollutants emitted into the environment reduces. Simply put, CNG runs cleaner than older diesel trucks. Reduced noise pollution is another major benefit. CNG trucks are much quieter on the road than traditional diesel trucks.

Moving towards alternative fuels for the City’s trash and recycle collection trucks also poses several economic benefits. CNG is significantly less expensive than diesel fuel and may provide over half a million dollars in annual fuel cost savings for the city. Maintenance costs for CNG trucks trend lower compared to older diesel trucks