DODGE CENTER, MN --- McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, a leading manufacturer of refuse truck bodies and concrete mixers, recently completed delivery of 144 new compressed natural gas (CNG) refuse trucks to two companies, CleanScapes Inc. and Waste Management of Seattle. 

The Seattle-based CNG refuse truck fleets are part of a statewide initiative to cut vehicle emissions in advance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2010 emission standards for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM).

The McNeilus CNG-powered refuse trucks offer lower fuel costs and reduced noise pollution, and they are six times cleaner than diesel-powered trucks.

"Seattle is a national leader in greenhouse gas emissions reduction and clean fuel technology," said Chris Martin, president of CleanScapes. "When bidding on the Seattle Public Utilities contract, we felt it would be advantageous to propose a CNG fleet that would provide significant environmental benefits to the city by reducing emissions."

CleanScapes' 40 new McNeilus CNG-powered refuse trucks were placed into service in April and have been providing clean and efficient refuse collection to more than 64,000 residential and business customers in central and northeast Seattle.

"Our CNG fleet is being used mainly for residential collection and is providing a very welcome reduction of emissions and noise levels in some of the most densely populated urban areas of Seattle," Martin said.