Groot adds natural gas-fueled trucks

ELK GROVE VILLAGE - Groot Industries Inc. will add 20 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks to its garbage hauling fleet by the end of the year, the company has announced.

Natural gas-powered engines produce 70 percent fewer emissions and are also 50 percent quieter than diesel engines, the company said.

Groot, which serves nearly 250,000 homes every week in the area, will open its own CNG fueling station in October in Elk Grove Village.

The company is investing millions of dollars in the conversion, Frank Hillegonds, the company's municipal affairs manager, said in a news release.

Full conversion of the fleet conversion will take years, he said.