The City of Toronto announced that it has teamed up with Enbridge Gas Distribution to build one of the first renewable natural gas (RNG) facilities in Canada which will power the city’s refuse trucks.
Enbridge and Toronto will build and install equipment that will turn the city’s organic waste (apple cores, egg shells, coffee grounds, etc.) into RNG which will be added to the city’s natural gas supply. RNG continues to win over fleets with its lower emissions, lower costs and government incentives.
Enbridge and the City of Toronto estimate that more than 177 million cubic feet of RNG could be produced each year at this facility which is expected to be completed in 2019. That’s enough to fuel 132 garbage trucks, or 90 percent of the city’s fleet.
“This project represents a path to low-carbon fuel for the city and will play an important role in helping us reach our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory.
By converting fleets, public transit, and heavy-duty vehicles from diesel to natural gas the city esimates that it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 15 percent and save up to 40 percent on fuel costs. Additionally, vehicles running on RNG are considered net neutral with respect to emissions. That’s because RNG is produced from methane that otherwise would enter the atmosphere.
