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Press Release
Cleaning Up Just Got Cleaner
Waste Management of the Inland Empire Meets Early State Deadline to Reduce Emissions from Diesel Trucks.
San Bernardino County, July 18, 2005 – Waste Management of the Inland Empire (WMIE) removed air pollutants equivalent to taking about 3,700 passenger cars off the road - beating the California Air Resources Board's early deadline for mandated diesel emission reductions.
A total of 123 of WMIE’s trucks were permanently retired, replaced with clean burning natural gas trucks or equipped with the best available control technologies – special pollution controls such as oxidation catalysts or filters that reduce harmful particulate emissions. WMIE reduced approximately 2.4 tons of toxic particulates and 30 tons of smog-forming NOx emissions per year from its fleet of garbage and recycling trucks. WMIE provides refuse and recycling services to customers in Riverside County and parts of San Bernardino County.
“Vehicle emissions are the single largest contributor to air pollution in Riverside County – making our air unhealthy to breathe and increasing our health care costs. Beating the ARB deadline shows our commitment to be good stewards of the environment and a clean energy leader” said Alex Braicovich, Director of Governmental Affairs for Waste Management of the Inland Empire.
The California ARB’s diesel emission reduction program originated in 1998, when the ARB determined that diesel particulate matter (i.e., diesel soot) was a toxic air contaminant with significant public health risks. One of the ARB’s first strategies to reduce particulate emissions targeted the state’s 12,000 garbage and recycling trucks. The ARB created a schedule for all 1988 to 2002 model year trucks to be equipped with pollution controls, with a final deadline of December 31, 2007.
Out of Waste Management’s statewide fleet of 2,742 trucks, 1,390 trucks – the largest fleet in the state – met the July 1 deadline for the early implementation of the nation’s toughest diesel emission reduction program. The company operates one of the largest fleets of low emission heavy-duty natural gas trucks in the country.
ARB also included an option to accelerate the compliance schedule, providing an early deadline of July 1, 2005, which requires that at least 50 percent of all 1988 to 2002 trucks be in compliance with the particulate emission rules. WMIE achieved a compliance rate of 63% in advance of July 1, and Waste Management has committed on a statewide level to complete the total emission reduction program well ahead of the state-mandated schedule. "There is no reason to wait to take care of something as important as cleaning up Riverside County's air," said Braicovich.
According to Susan Smartt, Executive Director for the California League of Conservation Voters, “Waste Management has been the industry leader in advancing technologies that greatly reduce air emissions from heavy-duty trucks. They are one of only a few companies that has supported stringent regulations to reduce vehicular emissions, and their large fleet of natural gas trucks is further evidence of this commitment.”
Waste Management is California’s largest provider of recycling and solid waste services. The Company has received numerous awards for its pioneering work in alternative fuel vehicles, habitat conservation, and recycling technologies. For more information visit www.KeepingInlandEmpireClean.com or www.wm.com.
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