Resource Center
Waste-Powered Buses? A Sustainable Dream Becomes a Reality for San Antonio
Since 2021, the Alamo City’s VIA Metropolitan Transit has been utilizing Republic Services’ Tessman Road Landfill to fuel their fleet with renewable natural gas (RNG). RNG is produced from biogas that is collected throughout the landfill and refined for use as a low-carbon transportation fuel.Byline: BTB Editor
March 10, 2023 / Time to read: 5 minAt Republic Services, we understand that our customers care more about sustainability than ever before. We’re committed to providing sustainable solutions to businesses, cities and the people who live in them—in ways they may not even see!
Case in point: the next time you’re in San Antonio, Texas, one of our solutions might even pass you on the street.
Since 2021, the Alamo City’s VIA Metropolitan Transit has been utilizing Republic Services’ Tessman Road Landfill to fuel their fleet with renewable natural gas (RNG). RNG is produced from biogas that is collected throughout the landfill and refined for use as a low-carbon transportation fuel.
RNG can come from many places, but the most common sources are:
- Regenerative landfills, which are one of the largest sources of RNG in the U.S. (like our Tessman Road Landfill)
- Organic waste facilities
- Wastewater treatment plants
- Livestock farms
- Food production facilities
This biogas is a true replacement fuel, displacing the need and dependency on fossil fuels.
How San Antonio is benefiting
In nearly two years’ time, San Antonio’s transition to RNG for these buses is showing results. The VIA is using RNG to fuel approximately 75% of its bus fleet, significantly lowering emissions. The use of RNG typically reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 60% to 70% over diesel.
This increase in low-carbon energy is part of VIA and the city’s larger initiative to operate primarily on compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles—one that began in 2017 and is designed to reduce nitric oxide emissions by 97%.
In other words, the use of RNG in San Antonio’s VIA bus fleet is safe, clean and upgrading the way people travel about the city.
Carbon Calculator
Our customers across all industries are looking to us more and more to help reduce their emissions and lower their environmental impact. The first step to those larger goals: understanding their carbon footprint.
To support our manufacturing, industrial and commercial customers, we developed a greenhouse gas calculator that estimates a customer’s emissions from the waste they generate as well as from transportation. This can be used in their Scope 3 Waste Generated in Operations reporting and can be leveraged to inform their climate action plan.
Interested in learning how we can help with your sustainability goals? Check out more examples of sustainability in action in our
1.
2.
