Connecticut waste hauler All Waste Inc. has opened a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station in Hartford, Conn., and will add 10 CNG-fueled vehicles this fall.

The Hartford-based All Waste is undergoing a five-year process of converting 60 of its 80 waste trucks to CNG, and already has 20 currently running on CNG.

TruStar Energy, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., designed and built the time-fill fueling station, according to a news release.

The conversion to domestic CNG fits with the company’s environmental program, which includes single-stream recycling for both commercial and residential customers, and using vehicles that collect both waste and recycling to reduce the number of trucks on the road, said Derek Alos, All Waste operations specialist.

“Choosing to fuel our fleet with domestic, CNG means our trucks are cleaner and quieter. This is good for our company and for our customers," Alos said.

TruStar designed the station to minimize fueling disruption of the drivers’ daily routes. The station consists of a single 200 horsepower compressor and 60 time-fill fueling posts. The station also includes resources for the installation of a second compressor to allow for quick expansion, as All Waste converts more of its fleet to CNG.

CNG conversion in the waste and recycling continues moving along steadily. Most recently in September Waste Management Inc. and New Jersey Natural Gas opened a public-access CNG fueling station at Waste Management's facility in Toms River, N.J. And Advanced Disposal opened a $1.6 million CNG fueling station in Macon, Ga., and is now operating 15 CNG trucks in the area, with plans to expand the fleet. The Ponte Vedra, Fla.-based Advanced Disposal operates 12 percent of its collection routes on CNG, and the company plans to increase that total to 15 percent by the end of the year.

In July, Phoenix-based Republic Services announced the addition of 17 CNG waste collection trucks to its fleet in the Denver area. This brings Republic’s total number of natural gas-powered vehicles in Colorado to 82. Since the beginning of this year, the percentage of CNG trucks, relative to Republic’s overall fleet, has increased from approximately 14 percent to 15 percent.

Harland Chadbourne, director of purchasing for Waste Pro USA, says the Longwood, Fla.-based company also remains committed to growing its CNG fleet and fueling facilities because of its benefits.

“CNG continues to be a safe and reliable fuel source that burns cleaner than diesel and gasoline fuels,” he says. “Using CNG also moves Waste Pro away from our dependency on petroleum-based fuels and reduces the supply and demand volatility that comes with imported fuels. Additionally, our customers prefer our use of the fuel as many of them have complimented on how quiet our trucks operate when compared to the diesel models.”

Since the beginning of the year, Waste Pro USA has committed to build one new fuel station as well as expanding and upgrading two other facilities. About 10 percent of its fleet, 190 trucks, are CNG-powered.