GreenWaste, a full-service resource recovery and recycling company, is pilot-testing a hydrogen fuel cell zero-emissions refuse collections truck.
This initiative marks a key step in the company’s commitment to a zero-emission fleet and advancing sustainable technologies in the recycling industry.
“Seven years ago, we made history by commercially operating the world’s first full-sized electric side-loading waste collection truck,” says Tracy Adams, CEO of GreenWaste. “Today, we are building on that legacy by testing North America’s first hydrogen fuel cell-powered refuse vehicle. This pilot reinforces our ongoing commitment to zero-emission vehicles and recovering, recycling and reusing waste materials in the most innovative, environmentally responsible and reliable ways possible.”
Currently, GreenWaste’s collection and heavy equipment fleet is 100% powered by renewable or alternative fuels.
Working with manufacturers to test new zero-emission vehicle technology supports GreenWaste’s broader innovation and sustainability goals, including its 2030 goal to achieve a 45% reduction in total combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions from its 2022 baseline. In 2023, GreenWaste achieved a 36.3% reduction in total combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions from its 2022 baseline.
The hydrogen fuel cell-powered refuse collection vehicle, developed by Hyzon and New Way Trucks, will be tested on select routes throughout California’s Bay Area, including in the city of San Jose, Santa Clara County, and the towns of Atherton and Los Altos Hills.
Why would they go that route, when they can tap and fuel their trucks with natural gas off their own landfills?