Re-Inventing the Garbage Truck ©Unsplash | pixabay ©Unsplash | pixabay Re-Inventing the Garbage Truck Report by Matt de la Houssaye One major opportunity in urban sustainability is replacing dirty assets with cleaner, more sustainable infrastructure. The development of electric garbage trucks is an opportunity to move away from conventional diesel-fuel-burning garbage trucks and their damaging health and environmental impacts. This emerging technology for refuse trucks comes at a much higher initial cost, although the technology is developing and improving and that cost will inevitably come down. Currently electric refuse trucks deliver lower fuel operating costs, lower use-phase particulate pollution and lower noise levels. Like solar energy, the system installation comes at a higher cost initially, but brings long- term savings over the lifetime of the project. This report provides an initial outlook for the refuse hauling industry to undertake a similar transformation, with trucks being a key source of impact. Graphic Design: Ana Luísa Lages December 2015 | www.globalgreen.org 3 ©Carlovenson | pixabay Diesel garbage trucks emit particulate matter trucks pick up the waste and bring it to landfills. through their tailpipes. In New York City, the As a result, areas with transfer stations and combustion in these trucks produces over landfills bear the burden of having the most diesel 39,000 pounds of particulate matter per refuse trucks on their streets. According to the EPA, year. When this particulate matter reaches waste transfer stations are disproportionately 13 micrograms per cubic meter in the air, concentrated in low-income communities and noticeable respiratory and circulatory problems communities of color2. For example, in low- can occur. NYC exceeded 13 micrograms per income neighborhoods in Brooklyn, including cubic meter of air 31 times in 2011. In NYC and Williamsburg and Green Point, half of the 362 other cities nationally, the impacts of refuse trucks that pass per hour carry waste, contributing truck traffic are disproportionally burdensome to particulate counts 355% higher on weekdays on low and moderate-income communities. versus Sundays, when waste transfer stations According to the US Environmental Protection are closed3. Agency, the associated health impacts of diesel trucks include increases in asthma occurrences Community groups and concerned citizens and premature deaths from pollutants1. from across the nation have approached the National Environmental Justice Advisory In cities, traffic from refuse trucks is often Council voicing their concerns over the negative consolidated at transfer stations where waste impact of landfills and transfer stations. If this is temporarily held, and therefore where more public opposition is influential enough, it could threaten the business’s license to operate. Carbon Monoxide (CO) Headache, dizziness, and nausea. Particulates Eye/respiratory irritation (and climate change). Nitrogen Oxide (NO) Lungs irritation and influenza. 1U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2014). Near Roadway Air Pollution and Health. Transportation and Air Quality. Retrieved from www.epa.gov/otaq/documents/ nearroadway/420f14044.pdf 2 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2000). A Regulatory Strategy for Siting and Operating Waste Transfer Stations. A Federal Advisory Committee to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from www.epa.gov/compliance/ej/resources/publications/nejac/waste-trans-reg-strtgy.pdf 3 O.U.T.R.A.G.E (2010). Williamsburg/Greenpoint OUTRAGE Truck Traffic and Air Quality Project. Organizations United for Trash Reduction and Garbage Equity. Retrieved from http://outragenbk.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/OUTRAGE_Truck_Traffic_and_Air_Quality_Full_Report.pdf 5 ©Unsplash | pixabay Two policy responses to alleviate the negative impacts of refuse trucks have been: 1. Restricting or limiting refuse trucks in urban 2. Phasing in performance metrics over time to areas meet the expected rate of potential adoption of the technology • NYC proposed two environmental laws, one limiting refuse traffic at select transfer • In California, solid waste collection vehicles stations by 25%, and Intro 495, which had been required to reduce smoke (measured reduces the solid waste capacity permitted at in opacity levels) by 10% in 2011 for diesel four overburdened transfer stations located trucks with specified engines using verified throughout Brooklyn, Queens, and the technology. The California Air Resources Bronx. These four transfer stations together Board has set standards for diesel-fueled constitute 80% of NYC’s total permitted buses and trucks through particulate matter solid waste capacity, with the burden of filter requirements, switching away from associated health impacts falling on local older, high-polluting trucks. communities. This capacity reduction is to occur over two phases and any and all • In the California fiscal year 2014-2015, growth of larger transfer stations will be $9 million has been allocated for Light- capped citywide4. Duty Pilot Projects, $25 million for Heavy-Duty Pilot Projects, and up to • The EPA and the Department of $50 million for Advanced Technology Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Freight Demonstration Projects1. This Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched kind of demonstration funding will help to the Heavy Duty National Program to reduce speed up the transition to a low-emission greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel transportation future. efficiency of heavy-duty vehicles including refuse trucks. 4 The New York City Council (2015). Legislation Text Int. No. 495. Reduced Permitted Capacity at Solid Waste Transfer Stations. Retrieved from http://legistar.council.nyc. gov/ViewReport.ashx?M=R&N=Text&GID=61&ID=1840019&GUID=5574F9B1-FFA9-4FDE-8D49-09B061F5591D&Title=Legislation+Text 7 ©WikimediaImages | pixabay The Netherlands Green growth has been encouraged in The Netherlands in part through the E-mobility program, a low emission initiative, with the goal of joining the cadre of electric-car-friendly countries by launching 200,000 plug-in electric cars on its road by 2020. In order to get there, a Dutch car company called Spijkstaal is in charge of manufacturing the first 100% electric garbage truck in the Netherlands, following the low emission transport initiative5. Chicago The first city in the US to create the same zero- carbon system as the Netherlands and use an electric refuse truck is Chicago. In 2012, Motiv Power Systems – one of the two electric refuse truck manufacturers along with Wrightspeed - was contracted by the City of Chicago to design the first fleet of electric garbage trucks. To use the City of Chicago project as an example, the average initial cost of a Motiv electric garbage truck is $500,0006. Netherland’s Spijkstaal manufactures relatively small electric refuse trucks with 3.6 tons of payload compared to the trucks by Motiv Power Systems with 9 tons. One major difference is the electric the type of battery pack. While Dutch’s electric refuse truck uses a Lithium- ion battery pack of 60kWh of energy capacity, Motiv’s electric refuse truck uses a Sodium- Nickel Chloride? battery pack of 200 kWh, creating a great range of difference in terms of price, and mile-range driven7. 5 Edelstein, S. (2013). The Netherlands: Well-suited to electric ear, and eager to have more. Green Car Reports. Retrieved from www.greencarreports.com/ news/1095599_the-netherlands-well-suited-to-electric-cars-and-eager-to- have-more 6 B. Tom (2013). Electrifying the Windy City. Trucking information. Retrieved from www.truckinginfo.com/article/story/2013/03/electrifying-the-windy-city.aspx 7 Motiv Power Systems (2014). America’s first all-electric refuse truck. City of Chicago. Retrieved from https://motivps.com/portfolio/americas-first-all- electric-refuse-truck/ 9 ©Unsplash | pixabay When it comes to trucks, a hybrid refers to a 3. According to a Bloomberg interview with vehicle whose powertrain combines the power Ian Wright, the founder of Wrightspeed, from two or more sources. A powertrain is the the power of their electric vehicles is the main component of a vehicle that produces electricity plus the gas turbine generator. power and delivers it to the road’s surface to The turbine is driving as the generator produce motion. Typically one source will be only keeps the batteries charged rather the engine, and the second one can be from a than providing power to wheels. Though battery or ultra capacitor in electric hybrids. Wright mentioned that the turbine burns methane that is produced from landfills, Since the powertrain is an assembly of gears and the efficiency of this process is unknown.9 associated parts by which power is transmitted from an engine to a driving axle; efficiency, Here’s an example of how Wrightspeed’s performance, and range can be added when a powertrain could potentially save money over Wrightspeed powertrain is incorporated within time: Assuming that the fuel consumption of the hybrid structure. Wrightspeed’s powertrain is the same as that of electric trucks and the retrofit is an additional To upgrade to Wrightspeed’s powertrain, the $150,000. At 7.5 years, the use of the powertrain cost increases by $150,000 relative to the regular from Wrightspeed will begin to save money, at one. According to the Sanitation Department, least $23,000 dollars per year. the price of a regular truck is $250,0008. After the retrofit, the cost of a truck will be $400,000. On the other hand, Autocar Trucks, a Hybrid Despite this