Metro’s Waste Hauler Switches to Renewable Diesel, Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
by Arashi Young (Oregon Metro) … Last August Metro made the switch to renewable diesel in its waste hauling operations resulting in at least a 65% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.
Jenna Garmon, Metro’s sustainability manager, visited the Metro Council work session Tuesday, June 29, to report about the impacts of this decision as part of the annual sustainability report. (2019-20 Sustainability Report)
Garmon described the switch as a “huge climate win that we have been working toward for several years.”
The transport of waste was Metro’s single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing greenhouse gases by switching to renewable diesel drops Metro’s total emissions by 20%.
Roy Brower, director of Metro’s waste prevention and environmental services department, has been a strong advocate for the fuel change, noting both environmental and community benefits.
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Metro’s chosen fuel is completely composed of used agricultural waste streams – no crops are grown to produce the fuel.
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Metro’s contractor, Recology, recently switched to using renewable diesel at Metro’s waste transfer stations, the second largest use of fuel across Metro operations. Metro will also start using renewable diesel at the Oregon Zoo soon and is working toward transitioning to renewable diesel in the rest of Metro’s operations.
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Last year, the Metro Council also adopted the Clean Air Construction (CAC) Standard, which aims to reduce diesel pollution from public construction projects. According to a 2017 DEQ inventory, roughly 50% of diesel particulates in greater Portland come from non-road engines used in construction such as bulldozers, excavators, generators, etc. READ MORE