New fuel source to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions on road to Cache Creek landfill

    -- Renewable landfill biogas could soon be innovative source of truck
                                   fuel --

    CHILLIWACK, BC, May 7 /CNW/ - A B.C. waste management company has
successfully concluded tests proving it can substantially reduce greenhouse
gas emissions from heavy trucks hauling Greater Vancouver's solid waste to the
Cache Creek landfill site, and is now set to expand the program.
    Wastech Services Ltd. has been working with three leading B.C. companies
in Westport Innovations, Terasen and IMW Industries to complete the pilot
project, which involved testing a fully loaded heavy truck fueled by liquefied
natural gas (LNG) on the heavily travelled 250 kilometer route between
Vancouver and Cache Creek.
    "We are delighted that the field trial was a success," says Russ Black,
General Manager, Wastech. "Now that we've demonstrated it's possible to use an
LNG-fuelled rig on the Cache Creek haul, we can now move to the implementation
of our plans."
    Wastech's plan is to convert its fleet of 28 trucks from diesel to clean
burning, lower emission LNG. The change will mean an immediate reduction in
vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. Wastech plans to acquire its vehicle fuel
from the landfill site itself, by capturing and purifying biogas generated by
the natural decomposition of organic waste. Using this alternative, renewable
source of energy will mean a cleaner environment, especially along the Highway
1 route through the Fraser Valley and Fraser Canyon.
    "This project is consistent with our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions while spurring new economic opportunities and made-in-BC jobs," said
Barry Penner, who is responsible for the provincial government's climate
action plan. "It's great to see the local benefits from moving to a greener
economy."
    John Les, B.C. Liberal candidate for Chilliwack said, "This is a great
example of another innovation in environmental technology. In addition to the
air quality benefits, of which Fraser Valley residents will be very aware,
there are very important investment and job creation benefits for people."
    Wastech's initiative is supported by Chilliwack-based IMW Industries,
which provides compressor fueling technology, and Westport Innovations, which
manufactures and sells the world's widest range of low-emission, alternative
fuel engines for heavy commercial vehicles.
    Westport Innovations co-founder and chief executive officer David Demers
says he is pleased to see a homegrown application of his company's
world-leading technology.
    "Our engines are designed to handle challenging conditions, and we look
forward to working with Wastech on further trials and onward to full
implementation."
    During the trial, Wastech's trucking contractor reported the truck
engines performed well, easily hauling full loads up the steep hills and
mountains along the highway to Cache Creek.
    The plan to capture renewable biogas for use as a fuel is based on a
successful program in southern California that uses purified landfill gas to
power a fleet of garbage collection trucks.
    "This initiative is in line with B.C.'s Smart Gas strategy to achieve
greenhouse gas emission reductions of 33 per cent by 2020," says Doug Stout,
Terasen Gas Vice President, Marketing and Business Development. "We are
pleased to support a project that reflects our goal to capture and develop
practical uses for clean, economic, renewable energy in British Columbia
integrated with the existing natural gas system."
    IMW is a leading supplier of equipment that compresses and stores natural
gas for vehicle fueling applications. IMW sells its technology all over the
world and currently supplies compression equipment to TransLink's natural gas
bus operations. "We're excited to be working with Belkorp/Wastech and moving
this project forward," said IMW president Brad Miller. "This is the kind of
innovative thinking that's helping put B.C. on the map as an environmental
leader."

    About Wastech Services Ltd.

    Wastech, owned by Belkorp Environmental Services, currently operates the
Cache Creek Landfill in partnership with the Village of Cache Creek. The
Company also owns and/or operates