CARSON, CA -- Waste Management on July 12 added the 1,000th natural gas truck to its fleet, making the refuse company the largest owner and operator of clean-running, heavy-duty refuse trucks in North America.

At a ceremony at the company’s Carson, Calif., property, Waste Management commemorated the delivery of its 1,000th natural gas vehicle with Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster starting up the new recycling truck that will serve his city’s residents.

“This is a special milestone in our journey to develop the cleanest fleet of heavy-duty trucks in our industry,” said Duane Woods, senior vice president at Waste Management. “We are pleased that we have so many natural gas trucks now in service, particularly in Southern California where clean air is such a critical issue.”

The trucks that Waste Management runs out of its Carson service yard – as well as a third of its California clean fleet -- are powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) derived from the decomposition of organic waste in its Altamont Landfill in Livermore, Calif. Since November 2009, the landfill has been generating as much as 13,000 gallons of LNG per day, a virtually zero-carbon transportation fuel.