From the Waste Age staff

Waste Management has opened a filling station for its compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks in the northern Chicago suburbs. Located in Wheeling, Ill., the station features 40 refueling bays.

The company has six CNG vehicles in operation in the area, and will place another 10 CNG trucks into service there this summer, according to a press release. “We have made the commitment to use more and more clean-burning CNG-powered collection trucks in the Chicago area,” said Steve Batchelor, Waste Management’s area vice president for Illinois and Indiana, in a statement. “Our Wheeling facility will give us the direct capability to fuel our growing CNG fleet in the northern suburbs, lower our exhaust emissions and help reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It’s a good step for our operations and a positive environmental contribution to the communities we serve.”

According to Waste Management, a CNG vehicle emits 23 percent fewer greenhouse gases when compared with a diesel truck.

RELATED RESOURCE:

• Waste Management Raises Commitment to Natural Gas as It Opens Its First Chicago-area CNG Fueling Station (press release)