Plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) are getting much of the attention when it comes to technology being deployed to reduce tailpipe emissions, including for operators of waste and recycling collection trucks.

Waste and recycling hauling firms are indeed investing in EVs, but battery-powered trucks are a long way from becoming the norm in commercial and residential collection.

Thus, haulers, truck makers and engine producers have worked together to expand options for alternative fuels like compressed natural gas (CNG) and continue to design cleaner-burning conventional diesel and gasoline-powered models.

For haulers and municipalities wishing to reduce their carbon footprints, there are a growing number of environmentally friendly options available, with more in the works.

Stepping on the gas

Indiana-based Cummins engines announced in mid-2021 an investment that the company says reaffirms its commitment to CNG engine options for its customers.

In late June, Cummins announced it had acquired a 50 percent equity interest in Momentum Fuel Technologies from Texas-based Rush Enterprises Inc.

Cummins says the joint venture with Momentum has been designed to produce natural gas fuel delivery systems for the commercial vehicle market in North America. The systems will “provide the strengths of Momentum Fuel Technologies’ CNG fuel delivery systems, Cummins’ powertrain expertise and [the] support infrastructure of both companies,” states Cummins.

“This collaboration shows Cummins’ continued commitment to natural gas powertrains,” Srikanth Padmanabhan, president of the Engine Business segment at Cummins, said at the time of the announcement. “This partnership will improve customer service for both CNG and [renewable natural gas or RNG] through an improved support network. We are thrilled to expand our network of clean and reliable power solutions.”

“The immediate environmental benefits of CNG and RNG, combined with upcoming regulatory requirements, will drive growth in natural gas vehicles for the foreseeable future,” stated W.M. Rush, chairman, CEO and president of Rush Enterprises.

CNG has gained market share in the waste and recycling collection market over the past 10 years, including with Phoenix-based Republic Services, which has put CNG vehicles on the road in many of its markets throughout the United States.

From 2015 to 2017, Republic announced CNG vehicle acquisitions or fueling station installations in markets including Southern California (200 CNG vehicles), Colorado (more than 100 vehicles), Ohio (25 vehicles), and Minnesota (50 trucks and a fueling station).

In some cases, local governments are pressing the case for the seemingly cleaner burning vehicles. In 2017, county commissioners in Seminole County, Florida, mandated that local haulers convert their collection fleets to CNG engines, in news initially reported by the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.

The haulers affected by that mandate were Longwood, Florida-based Waste Pro and the former Advanced Disposal Services (acquired by Houston-based Waste Management Inc. last year). The two companies served some 65,000 homes with municipal solid waste (MSW) and yard waste pick-up at that time.

The Sentinel wrote Advanced Disposal at that time already had some 95 CNG trucks on the road, including vehicles in three different counties in Florida, and it had opened a CNG fueling station in Orlando, Florida.

While CNG seems poised to remain an option for haulers, Cummins also is supplying more traditional engines to truck makers. Earlier this year, Cummins announced an agreement to supply its B6.7 and L9 engines to the Michigan-based business unit of Japan’s Hino Trucks for models to be sold in North America.

But in that same announcement, Hino Trucks made comments pointing to a future with more battery-powered trucks on the road in North America, whether in the waste sector or beyond.

Plugging into a new power source

At the same company event it announced its cooperation with Cummins, Hino Trucks also said it plans to redirect engineering and other resources to accelerate the development of the battery electric vehicle (BEV) portion of Project Z, its “development path to zero-emission vehicles (ZEV).”

The company had previously announced plans to develop and produce a range of Class 4 through 8 battery electric trucks by 2024. As of 2021, Hino Trucks says it is planning to begin low-volume production of the BEV models in the fourth quarter of 2022, ramping up to full production by the end of 2023.

“Our industry is in the midst of a generational shift from traditional vehicles to zero-emission vehicles,” stated Hino Senior Vice President of Customer Experience Glenn Ellis at the firm’s Work Truck Show event in March. “This new partnership is in line with the recent shift we have seen among other OEMs, who are looking to strong industry partners to help offset their growing research and development (R&D) investments into new ZEVs.”

Established truck makers like Hino and Texas-based Peterbilt Motors Co. (which delivered its first medium-duty EV commercial truck to a customer in Alaska in June) are trying to retain market share while startups such as Los Angeles-based Battle Motors and Canada-based Lion Electric are working to leverage EV technology to carve a niche in waste and recycling collection.

In May, Battle Motors acquired New Philadelphia, Ohio-based Crane Carrier Company LLC (CCC), which has been manufacturing commercial vehicles for 75 years.

One month later, CCC and Battle Motors delivered its battery-powered, electric refuse trucks to New York City hauler Liberty Ashes Inc. That firm’s co-owners, brothers Michael and Stephen Bellino, tied the purchase to a February 2020 executive order by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio mandating a fully electric municipal fleet by 2040.

“[When] we started looking into [electric refuse trucks], we were looking for availability, and we really couldn’t find any,” says Michael Bellino. He says CCC “was the first [company] that came to us with an actual delivery date that wasn’t two years in the future.”

Battle Motors CEO Michael Patterson says the company is investing to keep up with what the firm calls an influx of orders from haulers throughout the U.S. “We’re delivering 120 electric refuse trucks over the next three months,” says Patterson.

He continues, “We’re going to be delivering 200 electric trucks per month in 2022. Pretty much every major city is buying one or two electric trucks; we’ve already sold out everything we could make in 2021.”

Haulers seem to have indeed expressed a willingness to experiment with EV models, with Liberty Ashes far from the only hauler or municipality having taken the plunge.

Sustainable momentum?

One commitment to waste collection EVs has taken place in Idaho, where J&M Sanitation, a family-owned waste and recycling business serving Kuna, Idaho, has deployed two all-electric Class 8 refuse trucks to service its collection routes.

The provider of those vehicles, BYD, says the trucks are the first battery-electric, zero-emission vehicles in Idaho and were two of only 10 in North America at the time of delivery.

Shenzhen, China-based BYD, a publicly traded company that has a U.S. office in Los Angeles and a fabrication facility in Lancaster, California, has a considerable EV presence in China.

For the U.S. market, the firm is engaging with domestic suppliers. The cabs, chassis and propulsion systems of the two trucks delivered to J&M are equipped with 31-yard automated side-loader bodies made by Princeton, New Jersey-based Amrep,

“As the waste management industry seeks to provide zero-emission trucks for the communities [it serves], J&M Sanitation is demonstrating with BYD that battery-electric trucks are ready to fully support their operations,” Aaron Gillmore, vice president of truck business at BYD, said in March when the deliveries were announced.

Commented J&M owner and CEO Tim Gordon, “As a small, family-owned company, we were able to make the change from diesel to the electric waste removal vehicles long before legislation mandated the change. I want to encourage legislators from across the country and government officials from the [U.S. Department of Energy] to consider legislation that encourages other waste removal companies to make this change sooner. If a small company like ours can make the change, larger companies can, too.”

Among those larger companies, Republic Services had at one time made a commitment to purchase up to 2,500 battery-powered trucks from Nikola Corp., which was based in its home Phoenix market.

That agreement was canceled in December of 2020 as concerns surrounding Nikola mounted, culminating in fraud charges against the company’s founder in mid-2021.

In its most recent sustainability report, Republic has not backed away from the spirit of that commitment to reduce the emissions of its fleet.

In the “Climate Leadership” section of its report, Republic says it has made a commitment to fleet electrification, and in 2020, its first electric collection truck pilot model was put into service.

Houston-based Waste Management Inc., on its website, is touting its ability to convert methane gas harnessed from landfill sites to “create renewable fuels that power our trucks.” The company says the conversion process creates fuel that can be used by CNG-powered trucks in its fleet.

As governments and a significant percentage of household consumers keep an eye on greenhouse gas emissions and commitments being made globally to reduce them, waste haulers will likely continue their research and spending on the alternative fuel vehicles they deem cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

The author is a senior editor with the Recycling Today Media Group and can be contacted at btaylor@gie.net.

As a result of new advancements in technology and growing demand for electric vehicles, battery power across the world is expected to increase from 184-gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2018 to more than 2,600 GWh by 2030, according to market and consumer researcher Statista.

For recyclers, that means that about 86,000 metric tons of nickel, 35,000 metric tons of cobalt and 125,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent from used batteries will be recovered for reuse by 2030, according to Statista. While a greater influx of batteries into material recovery facilities (MRFs) across the nation presents an opportunity for these facilities to capitalize on the recyclable material, this also means an increased risk of fire hazards.

As many facility operators have seen firsthand over the years, lithium-ion batteries are perhaps the single biggest threat to MRF operators because of the fires and explosions they can cause if not properly handled.

“Lithium-ion batteries pose a serious threat to both the equipment and people that work in these facilities,” says Michael Timpane, the vice president of Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Resource Recycling Systems (RRS). Timpane has spent three years researching this issue with organizations like the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.

Due to the risks these batteries pose to operators, experts like Timpane have been searching for new ways to proactively address these issues as demand for batteries increases.

A GROWING CONCERN

While it has not been conclusively studied, experts like Timpane report instances of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are increasing. According to a survey done by Timpane in conjunction with the EPA, 50 percent of MRF operators believe that fires are increasing at MRFs and 64 percent of operators believe it’s because of the spike in lithium-ion batteries.

A study done by RRS showed that a MRF operated by South Bay Waste Management in Northern California had 5.48 lithium-ion batteries come down the belt every hour, which equates to about 1,000 over five weeks.

Lithium batteries have a chemistry different from other batteries because they have higher energy densities and voltages, can contain a charge in a dead product and their electrolytes are flammable if they come in contact with air, according to the EPA.

This means that any puncture of a battery could cause damage to the safety separator between the cathode and anode, which generates heat and can cause a fire or explosion. Additionally, sorting these batteries is difficult because they are sometimes hard to identify and remove from electronics, says Jordan Riveria and Neal Sushack of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), a branch of the Department of Transportation.

“Anything that uses a battery could be considered dangerous,” Timpane says. “Even something as small as a greeting card because they release a thermal reaction if they’re not handled properly.”

A fire or explosion as a result of failing to properly sort or store a lithium-ion battery could lead to catastrophic damage. For example, a fire at one of South Bay Waste Management’s MRFs that was believed to be started by a battery cost the company about $8.5 million in damage. This type of widespread damage is, unfortunately, all too common for recycling organizations.

ADDRESSING THE HAZARD

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While the dangers of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are growing in severity, Timpane says several things can be done to proactively stop a fire from happening. This includes improved signage, deployment of technology, and improved training and education.

“Before electronics even make it to the waste stream, they could have clear labels on them warning consumers not to put it in recycling containers,” Timpane says. “I know original equipment manufacturers could improve the labeling of these devices and be more consistent. This could prevent a substantial amount of these batteries from making it into waste streams.”

While some manufacturers have begun labeling what devices can and cannot be recycled, most still do not. This means MRF operators need to increase training and education for their workers so they are aware of what to look for when analyzing incoming materials. Timpane says things like repeatable toolbox training sessions that focus on identification, fire response and hauling should all be covered frequently in sessions. Also, he suggests training drivers to lookout for batteries when on collection routes to prevent batteries from making it to the MRF.

Timpane says that operators should also put their workers through battery count training. This is when the operator places scrap either on the floor or a belt that’s been stopped so that the workers can sift through to find all the batteries in the mix. The goal is to increase a worker’s awareness about what kind of material could have a lithium-ion battery in it.

“Practice makes perfect,” Timpane says. “You can do it on the floor or on a belt, but if you get your employees involved, chances are they will pay attention.”

Other things that an operator can do to improve the safety of a facility include routine checkups of the facility’s security system at night as well as making sure the sprinkler system has been inspected by the local fire department, Timpane adds.

Technology is also playing a larger role in preventing fires at MRFs. Timpane says companies can invest in artificial intelligence that can alert employees when a lithium-ion battery has been detected. He also notes that there are various webinars and podcasts that can be used as training tools for workers.

“The EPA holds frequent webinars about this,” Timpane says. “I believe artificial intelligence is going to play an important role in MRF technology and safety.”

Outside help

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While there are plenty of preventive measures a MRF operator can take to increase site safety, the most important thing in preventing fires is educating the community, says Brandon Wright, the communications director of the National Waste and Recycling Association.

“Everyone wants to recycle,” Wright says. “People want to do the right thing, even if they’re not sure if the object can be recycled or not. So, they throw it in the bin anyway and hope that someone else down the line will sort it out.”

Educating the community on what can and can’t be recycled often eliminates fire hazards before it is possible for an issue to arise. This can be done through improved pamphlets, posters and some boots-on-the-ground initiatives. Some communities, like Akron, Ohio, have launched programs to examine residents’ recycling carts, and if there is contamination like plastic bags or lithium-ion batteries, a note is left informing the resident why the container cannot be collected.

However, while experts agree that cart contamination assessments and tagging programs are some of the most effective ways of preventing fires at MRFs, it takes a constant effort. This is because residents frequently come and go from the community, which means how an area recycles constantly changes.

“I really do believe that community engagement helps prevent hazardous items like lithium-ion batteries from entering the waste stream,” Timpane says. “Improving the education of the community can increase its acceptance of better recycling methods. However, you can never let your foot off the gas pedal. If you do, that could lead to an increase in hazards found down the line.”

The author is a digital editor for the Recycling Today Media Group and can be reached at akamczyc@gie.net.

Since its founding in 2015, Spartanburg, South Carolina-based Atlas Organics (Atlas) has worked to revolutionize the composting industry through the development of a comprehensive organics recycling platform.

As a provider of collection, processing and consulting services for more than 1,600 homes and more than 100 organizations across nine cities, the company has seen significant growth since opening its first composting facility just six years ago.

“In 2015, we decided to ... create Atlas Organics. We worked with our first investor to raise $500,000. That helped build our first composting facility, and from there, we started expanding the hauling units,” says Gary Nihart, COO of Atlas Organics. “We [originally] started collecting food waste in upstate South Carolina, [such as in] Asheville [and] Columbia. Since then, we’ve been through several more rounds of funding and we’ve expanded operations into North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida and Texas.”

Currently, Atlas operates a total of six composting facilities and four hauling operations in Greenville, South Carolina; Durham, North Carolina; Indian River, Florida; Tampa, Florida; Memphis, Tennessee; and San Antonia, Texas.

Most of the facilities are managed through public-private partnerships with the municipalities. Under these long-term agreements, Atlas will accept feedstocks that are controlled by the municipality in exchange for a per ton tipping fee. These feedstocks can include yard waste, food waste and biosolids.

Atlas also brings in food waste from its internal hauling division, which operates collections for commercial and residential customers in South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee.

“Yard waste and biosolids are typically sourced from different municipalities, usually a city or a county, under a long-term contract,” says Nihart. “We collect food waste from our residential customers [through a doorstep collection program] known as Compost House. We deliver buckets, our customers put the buckets out, we can pick it up and leave [the residents] with an empty bucket.

“We get food waste from our commercial customers as well, [such as] grocery stores, hospitals, restaurants, schools, things of that nature. And then we get our food waste also from industrial customers. These are big food processors which have large amounts of food waste on a large scale, and we collect it.”

THE PROCESS

At the composting facilities, Atlas’ process begins with the grinding of yard waste using horizontal grinders fed by excavators. According to the company, these machines take loose unground municipally collected yard waste and reduce it to a 4- to 6-inch-minus single-ground mulch. This material will act as a carbon source for the composting process.

After the yard waste is processed, it is either added directly to the composting process or mixed with a nitrogen source such as food waste or biosolids at an approximate 50-50 ratio by weight.

“With composting, you need a few ingredients. You need a carbon source. Typically for us this is yard waste. And you need a nitrogen source, which is food waste or biosolids—the green part of yard waste. You need carbon, nitrogen, water and oxygen,” says Nihart.

This material is then transported by wheel loader to the composting system, which is comprised of a series of air blowers and an aeration floor/piping system. This system is known as an Extended Aerated Static Pile (EASP).

"The use of robotics and artificial intelligence in organics is going to allow companies like Atlas Organics to really go after some of the dirtier feedstocks that have contamination.” – Gary Nihart, COO, Atlas Organics

With EASP composting, fresh oxygen is blown into the pile under positive pressure to maintain aerobic conditions throughout the pile, thus eliminating the need for pile turning. This process can accelerate the decomposition of the organic waste material, achieve pathogen reduction requirements and prevent odor generation.

“We use a system of blowers with perforated pipes that are operated by computers, and these blowers are introducing oxygen at various intervals,” says Nihart. “Our piles heat up and get to the thermophilic phase where they’re really hot and there’s a lot of microbial activity breaking down the organic compounds. Then, the piles go through a mesophilic phase where there’re still microbes in there breaking it down, and some fungi get introduced.”

Compared to typical windrow composting operations, Atlas says it avoids using a diesel-powered windrow turner and limits dust generation by not turning the pile. Throughout the process, the material is monitored through various quality control methods including Solvita tests, bulk density tests, temperature monitoring and moisture monitoring through a batching protocol.

Once the material is fully composted, which can take anywhere from 45 to 60 days, it is removed from the composting system and screened to a 3/8- or ¼-inch-minus utilizing a trommel screen.

“We screen it down to a certain size so that it’s got that nice earthy feel to it—it’s not big and chunky. Then, it’s ready for the customer,’ Nihart says.

This material is also lab tested for U.S. Compost Council STA Certification. After the results are analyzed to confirm national and state limits are met, the material is sold into the marketplace.

NEW TECHNOLOGY

In an effort to increase efficiency of its organics processing, Atlas has deployed new technology to better address contamination challenges in current food waste feedstocks at its most recent composting facility in San Antonio.

“The expansion into San Antonio was prompted by the fact that we saw Texas as an underserviced market in the organics industry and specifically saw that the city of San Antonio had larger desires to try to divert residential organics from the landfill,” says Atlas CEO Joseph McMillin. “That came with challenges. So, we’ve worked with the team at the city of San Antonio to develop a unique solution for them to divert that material from the landfill that other processors could not help with.”

According to a release, the city of San Antonio has implemented residential food waste recycling programs but has historically outsourced its services. With Atlas, the city will now have its own composting facility at Nelson Gardens.

The new $10.8 million facility—built in partnership with Apex, North Carolina-based Crowder Construction—uses a one-of-a-kind patent pending presort line developed by Atlas to remove contaminants from the city’s green cart programs.

Atlas worked with new and current vendors, such as Rotochopper, St. Martin, Minnesota; AMP Robotics, Louisville, Colorado; and OEM Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, to design the system. Atlas is also utilizing custom control systems at the site to optimize the aerated static pile composting process that was designed by the company’s internal engineering team.

"The expansion into San Antonio was prompted by the fact that we saw Texas as an underserviced market in the organics industry and specifically saw that the city of San Antonio had larger desires to try to divert residential organics from the landfill.” – Joseph McMillin, CEO, Atlas Organics

“To our knowledge, [this facility is] the first time that AI (artificial intelligence) and robotics have been used in a pre-sort facility for organics in North America,” says McMillin. “The goal of the presort facility is to remove contaminants from the organic waste stream prior to processing instead of trying to remove those contaminants after they’ve been through the composting process via vacuums and wind sifters that have historically been attached to the screening process.

“Our thought behind that was that it’s easier to remove the contaminants, such as plastics, when they’re moving in a more whole form than after they’ve been through the grinder and through a 45-day decomposition process and touched by multiple pieces of equipment.”

For McMillin, the biggest issue he sees with managing the incoming organic waste stream is contamination. In order to derive a high-value product, he emphasizes the importance of having a clean feedstock going into the process.

“The use of robotics and artificial intelligence in organics is going to allow companies like Atlas Organics to really go after some of the dirtier feedstocks that have contamination,” says Nihart. “All the different kinds of plastics, metals and things like that can get [into] feedstocks, especially when you’re dealing with food waste. There are feedstocks, historically, the industry has stayed away from just because it’s too hard to deal with. AI allows us to turn those feedstocks into revenue streams and turn it into a valuable soil amendment.”

Atlas currently has another municipality looking into implementing similar technology within the next 12 to 18 months.

“We’re always open to working with other municipalities, specifically ones with green cart programs where contamination is a major factor for them,” says McMillin.

The author is the assistant editor of Waste Today and can be reached at hrischar@gie.net.

In May, the Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management (DSWM) announced it was the recipient of a $1,852,500 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will help subsidize the purchase of 23 automated side-loader waste collection trucks and two truck tractors for hauling waste.

The grant was awarded under the EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program, which works to promote a “clean and healthy environment and clean air.”

To fulfill this requirement, DSWM has committed to purchase Peterbilt 520 side-loader chassis that will reduce diesel emissions significantly over older vehicles in DSWM’s fleet. According to the county, roughly half of the trucks will have New Way Sidewinder bodies and the other half will have Labrie Automizer bodies.

Peterbilt introduced the Cummins Westport ISL-G Near Zero NOx emissions natural gas engine in its 520 model chassis in 2016. The engine, which is designed for use in the refuse industry and other vocational applications, operates on 100 percent natural gas in compressed (CNG), liquefied (LNG), or renewable natural gas (RNG) form.

According to the company, NOx emissions in the ISL-G Near Zero engine are 90 percent lower than the current EPA limit, but the engine still offers comparable performance to its original ISL-G engine that generates 320 horsepower and 1,000 lb-ft of torque.

At the time of the announcement in May, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said that the grant is part of the county’s overall goal of making the DSWM more sustainable in its operations.

“I’m committed to making Miami-Dade County a cleaner, greener community, and that includes looking for opportunities to become more energy efficient across county buildings and operations,” she said. “This grant from the EPA is an important step forward to build a more sustainable Department of Solid Waste Management, reducing emissions and protecting our environment as we serve our neighborhoods.”

DSWM Director Michael Fernandez told Waste Today that the grant, which will help subsidize roughly 25 percent of the trucks’ costs, will allow DSWM to be better stewards for the communities it serves.

“We’re trying to reduce emissions everywhere in our organization and preserve the environment,” he says. “The older vehicles, with the legacy engines, are the ones being replaced to eliminate the thick plumes of black smoke coming out of the tailpipe or smokestack that you are used to seeing. These new trucks now, they run hotter and cleaner, burning through all that particulate matter with no smoke. You could look at one of these new trucks, and you don’t see anything coming out of the tailpipe or the smokestack. All those older vehicles contribute to serious health problems for people and add to the pollution in our communities. … We want to put these new cleaner burning vehicles in residential neighborhoods so we can have a positive impact on our communities.”

In addition to helping drastically reduce emissions, Fernandez says the Peterbilt trucks have better fuel mileage than DSWM’s older fleet vehicles, which will further help the county pursue its sustainability goals.

The trucks also have the capacity to haul a larger volume of waste than Miami-Dade’s older vehicles. This equates to fewer trips needed to unload materials, less time out of the road and less fuel consumed.

Fernandez says the new vehicles are scheduled to be delivered during the summer of 2022. After a brief training period with the new trucks for both drivers and mechanics, the vehicles will be placed into service.

From an employee satisfaction standpoint, Fernandez says keeping up with newer vehicles goes a long way for DSWM’s workers.

“The drivers are ecstatic. Keep in mind, [the truck] is their office. They spend 10 hours a day in there, so it’s nice to be able to give them something new,” he says. “The trucks also come with newer technology that makes their jobs easier. The trucks can count how many carts you dump and have other features that are designed with the driver in mind, so when we have new trucks, it’s just a different ballgame.”

An evolving fleet

Fernandez says that keeping up with the latest fleet vehicles is something that is important for Miami-Dade not just for environmental reasons, but also because it makes financial sense.

“Before [in both the private and public sector], it was all about what’s the most cost-effective way, not necessarily the most sustainable way, to make your profit margins. But now, I think it’s not just about profit margins, it’s also about sustainability,” he says. “That is part of what goes into purchasing vehicles today where before those considerations were never really part of the mix because it was all about the bottom line. I think there is more environmental awareness out there in the communities [we work in], and I think everybody is making an adjustment to be more sustainable and [embrace] the responsibility that we have as organizations to think about the community and work towards a sustainable future.”

To this end, he acknowledges that the county has looked into investing in electric waste vehicles to cut its emissions even further, but the cost of the vehicles has been prohibitive thus far. Still, Fernandez says electric vehicles are clearly the truck of the future and that the county has been working to secure additional state grants that would allow DSWM to start integrating them into its fleet.

“I think that the best-case scenario for the industry is going fully electric where there’s no tailpipe, no emissions—there’s nothing. I think that’s going to be the future of the solid waste industry,” he says.

Fernandez says that electric vehicles not only offer the upfront benefits of reduced emissions, they also come with reduced maintenance costs and don’t require techs to change the oil or deal with discarded fluids, which also leads to greener operations.

Fernandez can envision how electric vehicles may someday soon allow the county to adopt a circular approach to its waste where the refuse that is collected helps produce the power that the vehicles run on courtesy of Miami-Dade County’s Resources Recovery Facility, which is a waste-to-energy facility in Doral, Florida, that is operated by Covanta Energy.

“I really am a believer in electric trucks and, ultimately, the dream will be to use our waste-to-energy facility here in Miami-Dade County to our benefit. I think the best story would be to have the garbage that we’re picking up in the neighborhoods going to get processed at a waste-to-energy facility where the power could be used to power these electric vehicles,” he says.

While Fernandez envisions electric trucks someday helping Miami-Dade achieve a circular approach to managing its waste, he thinks the widespread adoption of these vehicles across the country could help promote the reemergence of waste-to-energy facilities more broadly.

“I think with all these waste truck manufacturers getting into electric vehicle production, that just moves us one step closer to the ultimate dream of using the garbage that we’re collecting in our neighborhoods as the feedstock or the fuel source and getting away from fossil fuels like diesel and even natural gas and going emissions free,” he says. “I think that’s as sustainable as it gets because there’s always going to be garbage, you’ve got to pick it up, but now you can have a sustainable fuel source from it. You’re doing something beneficial with the waste rather than throwing it into a landfill that’s producing methane gas. For this reason, I think you’re going to see more waste-to-energy facilities pop up in our communities and people are going to figure it out sooner or later.”

The author is the editor of Waste Today and can be reached at aredling@gie.net.