HALF MOON BAY, CA – Allied Waste of San Mateo County will switch its entire 225-truck fleet from petroleum diesel to a biodiesel blend by January, according to the Half Moon Bay Review. Allied Waste is the largest contractor for waste and recycling services for the county’s commercial and residential customers.

Some of the newly fueled trucks began servicing the coastside and exhibit no significant change. So far, 16 of Allied Waste’s trucks have made the switch. Representatives of the garbage and recycling company said that no pricey conversions or increased maintenance costs accompanied the switch, making it a smart business decision.

Allied Waste is using a biodiesel blend called B-20, which is provided by Energy Alternative Solutions in Watsonville, Calif. It consists of 20-percent renewable resources and 80-percent petroleum-based diesel. Contrary to initial publicity materials issued by the company, the switch to B-20 does not eliminate all 80,000 gallons of petroleum diesel that Allied Waste was using every month to power its trucks. For Allied Waste, a month’s worth of B-20 still relies on 64,000 gallons of petroleum-based diesel.

Erin Taylor, an Allied Waste spokeswoman, said that Energy Alternative Solutions gathers vegetable oils from restaurants throughout the Bay Area and processes the oils into biodiesel. It then blends the biodiesel with petroleum-based diesel to create B-20, according to the Half Moon Bay Review.

In terms of price and overall cost to customers, Boyd said that B-20 is “a little more stable” than standard diesel fuel, but is still dependent to a large degree on conventional oil. Since the fuel Allied Waste uses a still petroleum-based, it’s not entirely insulated from the vagaries of the oil market.

Allied Waste estimates that B-20 will reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 3.3 million pounds per year, which it said is equivalent to taking 315 cars off the road annually.