Jefferson Trash Collectors Add 'Green' Vehicles to Fleet

Even picking up trash can become a lesson in being green.

Utilizing a grant from New Jersey Clean Cities Coalition and its own funds, Blue Diamond Disposal, the company that collects trash and recyclables in Jefferson Township, added a total of 17 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks to its fleet.

The new CNG trucks are part of Blue Diamond’s long-term initiative to convert its entire fleet of 60 recycling and waste collection trucks to CNG-powered vehicles.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s web site, CNG-powered vehicles, when compared with vehicles fueled with conventional diesel and gasoline, produce significantly lower amounts of harmful emissions such as nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and toxic and carcinogenic pollutants as well as the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.