Cleaning Up Just Got Cleaner WM Meets Early Air Quality Deadline Imagine that 3,700 cars could just be taken off the road-permanently. That’s the effect of Waste Management of the Inland Empire’s most recent environmental achievement. A total of 123 of WMIE’s trucks were permanently retired, replaced with clean burning natural gas trucks or equipped with the best available emission control technologies. We reduced approximately 2.4 tons of toxic particulates and 30 tons of smog-forming NOx emissions per year from our fleet of garbage and recycling trucks—and, we beat the California Air Resources Board's early deadline for mandated diesel emission reductions. Vehicle emissions are the single largest contributor to air pollution in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties – 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.” More information on our environmental initiatives is available at www.KeepingInlandEmpireClean.com or www.wm.com. < RETURN TO HOMEPAGE