Long Beach Commits to 100% All-Electric Garbage Trucks

January 15, 2025

Long Beach Commits to 100% All-Electric Garbage Trucks

Victory

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Long Beach becomes second city in California to make a bold commitment to electrify its garbage trucks

Contacts

Zoe Woodcraft | (818) 606-7509 | [email protected]

Long Beach, CA-

Late yesterday, the City of Long Beach announced that it will electrify 100% of its diesel garbage trucks, becoming the second city in California to make this commitment. This welcome news will help clean up Long Beach's dangerously poor air quality and help the City meet its climate commitments.

Garbage trucks are a deadly source of climate and air pollution in California, pumping out diesel exhaust as they idle on streets across the state. They produce around a quarterof all diesel pollution in California and contribute to 1,400 premature deaths every year. Electric options, on the other hand, are quieter than their diesel counterparts and produce zero tailpipe emissions. By electrifying Long Beach's 77 fossil-fuel-powered garbage trucks and the City's franchise refuse collectors, Long Beach can eliminate a significant amount of health-harming pollution.

"Long Beach remains one of the most polluted places in the United States, so the city's commitment to electrifying all of its garbage trucks is an important step to bringing much-needed relief to communities breathing dirty air every day," said Fernando Gaytan, senior attorney on Earthjustice's Right To Zero campaign. "After all, diesel garbage trucks pump out around a quarter of all diesel pollution in California. It's just commonsense to electrify the trucks rolling through neighborhoods."

"It is excellent news that Long Beach city leaders are taking our region's trash truck electrification needs seriously," said Jasmin Vargas, Western Senior Organizer, Jobs To Move America."In the future, garbage day will bring clean, quiet electric trucks built with high-road jobs through Long Beach's streets. Cleaning the local air and bringing clean tech jobs across the city sounds like a win-win to me."

Garbage trucks are ripe for electrification because they drive predictable routes during the day and are easily charged at night. Plus, their stop-and-go routes make them perfect for battery-electric operations and recharging. As more truck manufacturers ramp up production of electric vehicles, we are already seeing better models becoming widely available while costs keep falling. Manufacturers like Mack Trucks, BYD, and Lion Electric have produced multiple models of electric garbage truck models, and cities like New York, Boise, and Portland are already deploying them.

"The City of Long Beach's commitment to electrifying its garbage truck fleet is a pivotal step toward improving our air quality and improving public health," said Yassi Kavezade, Senior Campaign Advisor, Sierra Club. "By transitioning to all-electric vehicles, we not only reduce harmful emissions in our communities but also set a strong example for other cities to prioritize the health of their communities."

As Southern California experiences fires fueled by our continued reliance on burning fossil fuels and residents grapple with dangerous and deteriorating air quality, it is more important than ever for cities like Long Beach to show strong leadership and invest in clean air and climate-friendly technology today.

A Mack LR Electric garbage truck operated by the New York City Department of Sanitation. (Mack Trucks)

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