Republic Services Inc. has added 23 compressed natural gas (CNG) waste and recycling trucks to serve customers in Minnesota’s Twin Cities area.

The Phoenix-based Republic said in a news release that it also established a fueling station to support its new CNG fleet in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The natural gas stations allow trucks to fuel during non-peak hours, which adds to the reduced energy consumption during refueling.

The new CNG fleet replaces older, diesel-powered trucks.

Republic serves more than 200,000 residential and 10,000 commercial customers in the Twin Cities area. The company employs more than 550 in the region.

Republic now operates a fleet of more than 1,400 CNG vehicles and 26 natural gas fueling stations nationwide. Approximately 50 percent of all Republic vehicles purchased in 2013 are powered by the domestic fuel source, the company said.