Press Release



Cleaning Up Just Got Cleaner
GI Rubbish Meets Early State Deadline to Reduce Emissions from Diesel Trucks


Simi Valley, July 18, 2005 – GI Rubbish of Ventura/Los Angeles County has reduced more than 50 tons per year of harmful air emissions from its fleet of garbage and recycling trucks, beating the California Air Resources Board (ARB) early deadline for reducing diesel emissions.

The total reduction in air pollution includes cutting toxic particulate emissions by nearly two tons per year and smog-forming NOx (oxides of nitrogen) emissions by more than 48 tons per year. The NOx reduction is the equivalent of taking 6,000 passenger cars off of the road.

A total of 75 of the GI Rubbish’s fleet have either been permanently retired, replaced with clean burning natural gas trucks or equipped with “best available control technologies” – special pollution controls such as oxidation catalysts or filters – to reduce harmful particulate emissions. GI Rubbish provides refuse and recycling services to customers in Ventura and Los Angeles County including the communities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Lake Sherwood, unincorporated Los Angeles and Ventura County, Lynn Ranch, Malibu, Moorpark, Oak Park, Simi Valley, Susana Knolls, Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village.

“Vehicle emissions are the single largest contributor to air pollution in Ventura County – potentially making our air unhealthy to breathe and increasing our health care costs,” said Mike Smith, Vice President and Manager of the Ventura Market Area for Waste Management.

Out of Waste Management’s statewide fleet of 2,742 trucks, 1,390 trucks – the largest fleet in the state – met the July 1 deadline for the early implementation of the nation’s toughest diesel emission reduction program. The company operates one of the largest fleets of low emission heavy-duty natural gas trucks in the country.

The California ARB’s diesel emission reduction program originated in 1998, when the ARB determined that diesel particulate matter (i.e., diesel soot) was a toxic air contaminant with significant public health risks. One of the ARB’s first strategies to reduce particulate emissions targeted the state’s 12,000 garbage and recycling trucks. The ARB created a schedule for all 1988 to 2002 model year trucks to be equipped with pollution controls by December 31, 2007.

ARB also included an option to accelerate the compliance schedule, providing an early deadline of July 1, 2005, which requires that at least 50 percent of all 1988 to 2002 trucks be in compliance with the revised particulate emission guidelines. GI Industries achieved a compliance rate of 74% in advance of July 1, and Waste Management has committed on a statewide level to complete the total emission reduction program well ahead of the state-mandated schedule. "There is no reason to wait to take care of something as important as cleaning up Ventura County's air," said Smith

According to Susan Smartt, Executive Director for the California League of Conservation Voters, “Waste Management has been the industry leader in advancing technologies that greatly reduce air emissions from heavy-duty trucks. They are one of only a few companies that have supported stringent regulations to reduce vehicular emissions, and their large fleet of natural gas trucks is further evidence of this commitment.”

Waste Management is California’s largest provider of recycling and solid waste services. The Company has received numerous awards for its pioneering work in alternative fueled vehicles, habitat conservation, and recycling technologies.