May 20, 2023. The City of Roseville in California has found an innovative method to fuel their vehicles: by utilizing wastewater. Through the Energy Recovery Project, they are converting wastewater into methane, which will power a portion of Roseville’s waste collection fleet. This renewable fuel source is not only cost-effective, being half the price of diesel, but it also has environmental benefits.
This initiative is just the start—the city plans to extend the concept to food waste, further expanding its sustainable fuel options. Currently, Roseville operates 14 trucks powered by renewable natural gas (RNG), with plans to add 33 more to its eco-friendly fleet.
Devin Whittington, Assistant Utility Director for the City of Roseville, commented, “We’re really excited about this because we’ve been planning since 2016. It’s a direct substitute for diesel or gas. We convert it to what they call a diesel gallon equivalent, and the plant will produce up to 1,000 gallons per day.”
Leilani Baroman, a Senior Utility Customer Service Specialist, explained, “As part of plant expansion, we’re taking waste and turning it into power by using leftover biosolids to capture methane gas and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We’re using the gas to fuel our garbage truck fleet. It’ll reduce carbon emissions equivalent to planting 2,000 acres of forest.”
Baroman also noted that they are cutting down on organic waste that would have otherwise ended up at the landfill. The initiative helps to make fuel costs for their collection trucks more stable as well.