The city of Long Beach has deployed its first two electric trash collection trucks, officials announced last week.
The Zero-Emissions Collections Pilot Program is designed to evaluate the feasibility of transitioning to a completely carbon-free fleet in the years ahead.
“This pilot reflects the city’s commitment to climate action and innovation,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “We’re excited to be a leader in this effort and explore how electric collections trucks can help reduce emissions, improve air quality and modernize city services.”
The pilot program began April 23 and has deployed two electric collections trucks in real-world operations. A larger truck operates on standard routes, and a smaller vehicle runs mostly in alleys.
The program is currently limited to the two vehicles so officials can evaluate their performance before considering expansion in the future, according to the city’s announcement.
“This approach ensures that regular daily collection operations can continue without disruption while the new technology is tested to withstand the high demands of daily collection,” officials said in a statement. “The pilot will continue until enough operational data has been collected to support a full evaluation.”
To fully understand how electric garbage trucks perform compared with the current fleet that runs on compressed natural gas, or CNG, the pilot will evaluate several key metrics — the total tonnage each truck can carry before needing to unload, how long each vehicle can operate on a single charge and whether the trucks can complete their assigned routes without interruption, officials said. City staff will also monitor the vehicles for any unforeseen technical issues related to the new technology. Such data will help determine whether zero‑emission trucks can meet the same operational demands as the existing CNG fleet before the city considers adding emission-free trucks.
Transitioning the city’s entire collections fleet to zero-emission trucks also presents potential logistical and financial obstacles. The electric charging infrastructure for a full fleet of over 89 refuse trucks to replace the city’s current CNG-powered fleet is a complex task.
“I was proud to lead City Council on this effort to encourage the kind of forward-thinking investment our city needs to plan for a more sustainable future,” District 2 Councilwoman Cindy Allen said in a statement. “By testing zero-emissions collections trucks in real-world conditions, we’re taking a practical, data-driven approach to reducing emissions while still prioritizing providing first-rate services for our residents.”
Vice Mayor and 7th District Councilman Roberto Uranga said in a statement, “Exploring zero-emissions technology for our collections fleet is an important step toward improving air quality and modernizing essential City services. This pilot will help us better understand how to scale these efforts in a way that is both operationally effective and fiscally responsible.”
The pilot program is a joint endeavor by the Long Beach Fleet Services Bureau and the Energy and Environmental Services Department.
For more information on refuse collection services, go to longbeach.gov/lbrecycles.
