Photo courtesy of the City of Long Beach.

The City of Long Beach unveiled the first municipal refuse truck in the country to employ Cummins revolutionary near-zero emissions engine at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo on May 3.

The Cummins Westport ISL G Near-Zero engine achieves a 9 percent reduction in greenhouse gases compared to the current standard ISL G engine. It is certified to a nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission standard that is 90 percent cleaner than the current Environmental Protection Agency NOx limit. The engine also emits 90 percent less particulate matter than a diesel-powered version.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, especially for trucks driven daily in the Long Beach area, is essential for improving air quality and public health, city officials stated.

“We are committed to making the City fleet as sustainable as possible,” Fleet Services Bureau Manager Dan Berlenbach said in a statement. “This is a huge step in reducing truck emissions that benefits everyone in Long Beach.”

The new municipal refuse truck is the first of 23 that will soon be coming to Long Beach in the next six months. Thirteen of these trucks will be partially funded by a grant from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Review Committee.

The Long Beach Fleet has been working towards cleaner transport since the 1970s. Fifty-two percent of its fuel is renewable.

In the near future, the city will begin using renewable compressed natural gas to maximize the emissions reduction of this new technology engine.