Town of Smithtown continues to rely on CNG for waste collection

January 11, 2021. The Town of Smithtown, New York, began its new seven-year contracts for Residential Solid Waste Collection on Jan. 4. Three new companies were signed, while two were maintained.

The list of carters includes Winter Brothers, Alpha Carting, T&D Doherty, Total Collection and Brothers Waste; of those, the latter two previously worked with the town.

The town, which is divided into 12 collection districts, handles curbside waste pickups, scheduled for either Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday, depending on the district.

“The Town of Smithtown is continuing its commitment to protecting the environment through the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) residential solid waste collection trucks,” David Barnes, Department of Environment and Waterways director, said in a news release. “These trucks produce 30 percent less greenhouse gas emissions, 90 percent less particulate pollution, and are much quieter than diesel trucks. Twenty-two new trucks start collections this week and will be used for the next seven years.”

All five carters are outfitted with new collection trucks, with the exception of Winters Brothers in the villages of Head of the Harbor and Nissequogue, according to the town. The fleet is the recognizable white trucks with green lettering, and will again be powered by natural gas, which is clean burning and quiet. Using CNG trucks as an alternative to diesel helps reduce dependence on foreign fuel and resources while providing pricing stability, which translates to a lower maintenance cost, the town stated.

The Carting contracts are for seven years, publicly bid pursuant to general municipal law, and require prevailing wage rates established by the New York State Department of Labor.

The continued use of CNG-powered trucks is part of the town’s efforts towards a cleaner environment through a clean fleet vehicles plan consisting of alternative energy sources, CNG trucks, hybrid vehicles, and 100 percent electric plug-in vehicles.