Our collection fleet of more than 18,000 vehicles connects customers with our services. As an essential component of our business, we strive to make our fleet as efficient, reliable and safe as possible.

Our Natural Gas Fleet

For decades, WM has invested in vehicles and infrastructure to transition our traditionally diesel fleet to lower-emission natural gas. Our vehicles receive natural gas fuel through our network of WM-owned and operated fueling stations.

According to the U.S. EPA, natural gas vehicles can reduce tailpipe greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20% and emit up to 90% less nitrogen oxide (NOX) than traditional diesel vehicles. Therefore, not only do natural gas vehicles avoid the use of millions of gallons of diesel fuel each year, they also reduce our GHG emissions, are quieter than diesel trucks and emit nearly zero particulate emissions, which can help improve air quality.

WM has also been investing in infrastructure and technology to support the capture of landfill gas and conversion to renewable natural gas (RNG) as a renewable, alternative energy source that can be used to help power homes, businesses and even our natural gas fleet. In the case of facilities like WM’s Skyline RNG Facility, a natural gas fueling station was installed directly adjacent to where landfill gas is captured and processed, creating a closed loop through waste collection, conversion into energy and use as fuel for collection trucks. The use of RNG incentivizes improved management of existing waste streams, which can lead to water and air quality benefits beyond the production of RNG.

WM procures additional RNG captured from dairy and hog operations to further increase renewable fuel used within our fleet. Converting waste manure to RNG is a win-win: it reduces methane emissions at a dairy farm and reduces vehicle emissions from trucks on the road. WM is also developing efforts to use biodiesel where compressed natural gas fuel is not available or practical, allowing us to further reduce our fossil fuel-derived diesel use.

Improving the Efficiency of Our Fleet

Beyond using lower-emission fuel, we are decreasing the amount of fuel we consume via logistics solutions, including route optimization technology that allows us to reach customers while traveling the shortest possible distance. Efficient routing translates into reduced fuel consumption and associated emissions, while also improving the quality of our service by limiting delays.

Credit for much of this progress goes to our WM Way initiative, which helps streamline routes. WM Way technology includes DriveCam®, a video recorder mounted on the windshield of collection vehicles that is automatically activated by sudden movements. Where appropriate, managers watch videos with drivers to coach them on safer and more fuel-efficient driving techniques, such as proper acceleration, deceleration and efficient speeds.

We also use an anti-idling program to reduce fuel consumption. Through this program, all collection vehicles built after 1998 can program idle shutdown timers to five minutes, in accordance with the American Transportation Research Institute’s Compendium of Idling Regulations.

Reducing Fleet Emissions

To demonstrate our commitment to reducing our own GHG emissions associated with our fleet, WM developed an objective for 70% of our fleet to be alternative fuel vehicles by 2025. As part of this transition, WM has worked to remove older diesel vehicles from our collection fleet and simultaneously add more alternative fuel vehicles.

While natural gas vehicles and allocation of RNG to our collection vehicles has helped us significantly reduce fleet emissions, we continue to look for ways to further reduce our impact. For example, we pilot emerging technologies such as electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. However, while electric cars are becoming more commonplace as passenger vehicles, significant challenges remain to operationalize heavy-duty electric vehicles. Current options for heavy-duty electric vehicles lack sufficient range, hauling capacity and proven experience for our operations. In addition, charging infrastructure is not yet widely available. Despite these challenges, we have an eye on the future. WM continues to test these and other vehicles to help us find new ways to reduce our carbon footprint, meet regulatory requirements and continue to provide customers with reliable service.

WM works with major domestic and international vehicle equipment manufacturers to identify lower-emission, state-of-the-art truck and compaction technologies for our fleet. We began operating our first electric-powered collection truck in 2020 in Southern California and are continuing to expand pilots of vehicles and programs throughout the United States. Beyond these initial vehicles, we continue testing alternative energy collection and support vehicles from nearly every major manufacturer, working with them to provide feedback on truck performance. By experimenting with a broad range of solutions, we expect to find the technologies that allow us to be successful and ultimately operate with zero emissions in the communities we serve.