GOODBYE DIESEL—HELLO CNG
Onlookers cheered as Victorville City Councilwoman Gloria Garcia turned the key and honked the air horn of a new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) refuse truck—one of three being added to the fleet of Victorville Disposal Inc., a Burrtec Waste Industries company.
A grant secured through the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District (MDAQMD) allowed Burrtec and the City of Victorville to partner in a project to reduce emissions from older diesel refuse collection trucks by replacing them with new models using compressed natural gas, considered the safest and cleanest-burning alternative fuel.
During a ceremony held on June 25, at one of Victorville’s two CNG fueling stations, Victorville Mayor Jim Cox told attendees that since 2010, Burrtec’s Victorville hauling division has replaced 19 of their diesel commercial and residential trash and recycling trucks with new CNG models. The older diesel-powered trucks have been taken out of service.
Burrtec Vice President Mike Arreguin said that the MDAQMD grant made a tremendous difference, explaining that a new natural gas truck costs about $300,000—twice the cost of a diesel truck. They also lower emissions and emit less pollutants, which help keep our air cleaner. “You fire up one of these trucks and you don’t see a big black plume,” he added.
Eldon Heaston, Executive Director of MDAQMD, expressed their commitment to protecting the air breathed by more than 500,000 residents living within its boundaries.
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