Waste Management, Inc. announced a pilot program that will introduce Rotopress waste collection trailers for the first time in North America to improve the flexibility of its waste collection operations. The pilot program will first rollout in Houston, Texas, followed by pilot projects in San Diego, Calif., Sacramento, Calif., Milwaukee, Wis. and Camden, N.J. One of the new pilot vehicles will be unveiled at the company's headquarters in Houston, Texas. Waste Management anticipates the program to provide greater operational flexibility and reduce trips, fuel use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improved maintenance costs. The Rotopress modular technology, combined with a decoupled tractor-trailer configuration using natural gas as its fuel source, provides a number of operational and environmental benefits to meet the challenges of a diversifying waste stream, reduces capital costs, reduces exposure to rising fuel prices and reduces vehicle emissions. The introduction of the Rotopress builds on Waste Management's existing fleet of more than 1,400 heavy-duty trucks fueled with natural gas and the company's long-standing commitment to transition from diesel to natural gas trucks and build toward a zero-emission fleet. For every truck Waste Management converts to natural gas, diesel fuel use is reduced by an average of 8,000 gallons and GHG emissions are reduced by 22 metric tons annually, providing significant economic and environmental benefits.