Landfill Near Lake Elsinore Goes Hybrid

The El Sobrante Landfill near Lake Elsinore has gone a little greener.

And Waste Management of California, which operates the fill, got a nod from the equipment manufacturing industry for the effort.

Waste Management has been awarded with the “Green Fleet” Silver-level Certification by the Association of Equipment Management Professionals for its California heavy equipment fleet. The recognition is an industry-wide program to increase public awareness of efforts to protect the environment through emissions reductions. 

Last week, the El Sobrante site received a hybrid bulldozer designed primarily for waste hauling -- a first in California. Additionally, as mandated by state law, Waste Management upgraded and retrofitted all of its heavy equipment fleet to meet higher emission standards set by the California Air Resources Board. Company offiicials also retired over 150 heavy equipment units that could not be upgraded or retrofitted, according to a Waste Management news release, and they purchased over 50 new heavy equipment units.

The new D7E hybrid bulldozer was delivered to El Sobrante Oct 31. Situated just east of the 15 Freeway off Temescal Canyon Road, the site is 1,322 acres, with a 495-acre landfill footprint and a 698-acre habitat conservation area. Nearly all trash collected in Lake Elsinore and Wildomar is shipped to the El Sobrante site.

“Waste Management is one of the first in the industry to invest in this new heavy equipment technology that will reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mike Williams, district manager for El Sobrante Landfill. “We are proud to be leading the way in sustainable practices in our industry.”

The D7E hybrid bulldozer, designed by Caterpillar, is the first of its kind to have a diesel-electric drive technology.  The diesel-electric drive technology uses a diesel engine to drive an electric generator that powers two electric drive motors.  This new “green” technology increases efficiency by 25 percent, reduces fuel consumption by 10 to 30 percent and reduces greenhouse emissions, according to the news release.

Green house emission reductions, from productivity increase and fuel savings, per hour are:

10 percent for carbon monoxide, 20 per cent for nitrous oxide, 51 percent particulate matter, 23 percent carbon dioxide, the news release states.