Monday 17 February 2020

LA Sanitation commits to electrifying refuse fleet by 2035

LA Sanitation has committed to electrifying its entire rubbish truck fleet by 2035.

The organisation made the announcement as leaders from Los Angeles County’s transportation and energy industries gathered to discuss their commitments to heavy-duty zero-emissions vehicles - its General Manager Enrique Zaldivar made the public commitment, which is the nation’s first pledge by a city government to such a transition.

He said: "We came to the realisation that we are such a significant player in this industry across the nation, we have a marketplace pull and leverage. We know that we can be an enabler and an accelerator. We are moving all-in on electrification. It is the only way we are thinking now."

The electrification plan aims to reduce emissions in order to tackle climate change and improve air quality, as well as spur the wider adoption of zero-emission technologies by illustrating that such a change is possible.

LA Sanitation has also set an interim goal of ensuring all of its truck procurement is 100% electric within the next two years as it moves to phase out its existing fleet of natural gas refuse trucks.