Recology, a 100% employee-owned sustainable waste management company, will begin testing North America’s first hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric refuse collection vehicle, developed in partnership with New Way Trucks and Hyzon, in San Francisco this week.

The garbage truck was built in collaboration between garbage truck manufacturer New Way Trucks and fuel cell manufacturer and technology developer Hyzon. Recology will be the first waste and recycling company to test this hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric garbage truck in the U.S., and San Francisco will be the first city in North America to test it on urban streets.

“In our efforts to protect the environment and combat climate change, San Francisco is once again leading the nation in testing new approaches and equipment,” said Salvatore M. Coniglio, CEO of Recology. “Recology’s leadership in recycling and composting helped make San Francisco the ‘greenest big city in the country’; now we are leading the way in sustainable operations.”

Recology has long placed a premium on fleet sustainability. In 2019, the company deployed the country’s first Class 8 electric rear loader in Seattle. Since then, Recology has tested electric collection vehicles throughout its operations and prioritized the use of renewable or alternative fuels in its fleet. The company has reduced emissions from fuel use by more than 77% since 2018.

Given the number of garbage trucks on the nation’s roads every day, switching to zero-emission vehicles is a critical part of the U.S. strategy to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“With more than 140,000 garbage trucks in operation in the market today, garbage collection represents an ideal application to demonstrate the viability of hydrogen fuel cell technology across the environmental services industry,” said Eric Evans, Chief Product Officer at New Way.

Recology executives got a first look at the new technology in late 2023, and New Way and Hyzon unveiled the hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric garbage truck at Waste Expo in Las Vegas in May. New Way’s expertise in garbage collection and Hyzon’s focus on providing zero-emission, high-performance fuel cell systems to decarbonize demanding industries promise to make electric garbage collection a reality for the North American waste and recycling industry.

The first-of-its-kind garbage truck will be tested on routes in San Francisco over the next two weeks, with Recology employees at the wheel. After piloting this truck in San Francisco, Recology will test it in other Bay Area cities. New Way and Hyzon have additional tests planned across California in late 2024, followed by further testing in Canada.

“Our high-performance Hyzon hydrogen fuel cell systems offer the right technology to deliver zero-emissions power that is robust enough to handle the hard work a garbage truck must do day in and day out,” adds Hyzon CEO Parker Meeks. “Interest will only grow, and I look forward to our continued partnership with New Way and service providers like Recology to change the future and enable a better way forward.”

Recology’s trials with New Way and Hyzon build on the success of Hyzon’s electric refuse truck trials in Australia, which demonstrated that hydrogen fuel cell technology is a viable replacement for traditional heavy-duty diesel engines. All three companies aim to demonstrate that New Way-Hyzon’s hydrogen fuel cell-powered refuse truck overcomes some inherent challenges associated with other zero-emission technologies, such as range issues, operating temperature variations and payload limitations.

To demonstrate that hydrogen fuel cells are a more sustainable option in waste management, Hyzon launched its Class 8 semi-trailer test program with 200 kW FCEV in July, which Recology also plans to test.

Hyzon’s high-performance hydrogen fuel cell systems are proven to deliver consistent power over a range of at least 200 kilometers, including at least 1,200 cart hauls and trips to transfer stations.