By RACHEL PLEASANT | The Pasco Tribune
Published: July 07, 2011
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ZEPHYRHILLS --
Think of a typical garbage truck and the words "quiet" and "clean" don't normally come to mind.

In Pasco County, that could change in a few years.

Last month, Fort Lauderdale-based Choice Environmental Services purchased Dade City-based Central Carting Disposal, which had garbage contracts with several Pasco municipalities.

Choice was the first refuse company in the state to fuel its vehicles with natural gas. Now it wants to bring that technology to Pasco, and the ideal site for a refueling station would be Dade City, where the company already has equipment, facilities and employees.

"Hopefully Dade City and the county will be an enthusiastic partner," said Jim Sage, executive vice president of Choice, which is owned by Charlotte, N.C.-based Swisher Hygiene.

In 2008, Choice began searching for alternatives to expensive diesel fuel.

"We looked at a lot of things," Sage said. "There are hybrid trucks available where they use a combination of hydraulic, electric and diesel. The problem we saw with all of those was that the source, whether it's electrical or whatever, there is still generation required. The better alternative is natural gas. Natural gas is there for us to drill and pipe.

"There are some landfills that produce natural gas as things decompose, so it's almost a full circle," he said.

Choice partnered with Clean Energy — whose directors include oil-magnate-turned-natural-gas-advocate T. Boone Pickens — to build a refueling station in Pompano Beach. Sage said the site, about 8 miles from Fort Lauderdale, was chosen because of the city's enthusiasm for the project.

In 2009, Choice put its first compressed natural gas truck into operation in the Fort Lauderdale area. The fleet has grown to 13.

The trucks are equipped with natural gas engines, and each has four natural gas fuel cells.

According to Choice, the trucks have the same range as diesel-powered versions but produce 25 percent less greenhouse gases. They also are quiet.

"You can stand by one and have a conversation, and you don't even notice it," Sage said.

The company said it is saving 30 percent annually by using compressed natural gas trucks instead of diesel.

Choice also has operations in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Fort Myers and Highlands County and plans a gradual switch at all sites to compressed natural gas.

In Dade City, the company has not pinpointed any sites for a refueling station, and it probably will be two to three years before a station can be built and the trucks begin operating in Pasco.

City Manager Billy Poe wasn't aware of Choice's use of compressed natural gas technology and said the company's current operations are outside the city. Still, Dade City would be interested in helping bring a refueling station to the area.

"We would definitely want to sit down and discuss that," Poe said.

Buck