While you might not see a garbage truck as one of the cleanest vehicles on the road, one company is trying to make sure that at least its emissions are clean. Waste Management, in a partnership with the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest (ALAUM), the American Lung Association in Utah (ALAUT) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, converted seven diesel engine waste haulers to compressed natural gas (CNG) engines.

By switching to CNG, Waste Management is reducing over 14,000 tons of lifetime tailpipe emissions, benefitting the residential neighborhoods and schools these trucks frequently operate near. The waste haulers will reduce 47.31 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx), 2.38 tons of particulate matter (PM), 2.22 tons of hydrocarbons (HC), 10.84 tons of carbon monoxide (CO) and 13,944.49 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Mobile source emissions are the leading cause of outdoor air pollution. This project achieved significant emission reductions, helping the American Lung Associations mission to fight lung disease and improve lung health, said Glenn Lanham, Executive Director, American Lung Association in Utah.

In addition to helping people breathe easier, the CNG-powered vehicles beat Waste Management’s emissions reductions and fuel efficiency goals set in the company’s corporate sustainability program.