Wednesday 13 April 2022

New pilot to trial renewable natural gas in waste collection vehicles in Ontario

A new pilot project that will trial the use of low carbon renewable natural gas (RNG) in waste collection vehicles across Ontario, Canada, has been launched.

The Ontario Waste Management Association (OWMA) has teamed up with Enbridge Gas to use RNG in its fleet that is expected to reduce emissions by around 56,000 tonnes – equivalent to removing 12,000 passenger cars off the road annually.

Currently, more than 40% of Ontario's waste sector spending is related to transportation costs, which are expected to increase.

With a fleet of 3,650 waste collection and haulage vehicles in Ontario that consume around 130 million litres of diesel per year, there is a significant opportunity to reduce emissions by transitioning the industry to low carbon renewable fuels.

OWMA CEO Mike Chopowick said: “There is a strong signal that the time to act in our industry is now and ensure we harness the economic and environmental value of low carbon fuels. Ontario's waste sector wants to do its part in reducing emissions and recover more resources from waste.

“This partnership is the beginning of a generational transformation of how we better manage waste to achieve a low carbon future.”