Moline’s “Green Fleet” Acknowledged as 100 Best Fleets in the Country

Posted 05/25/10
                                

A green fleet is one of the ways a municipality can reduce their carbon foot print and become more sustainable. The City of Moline has instituted several practices to reduce the pollution and energy consumption of their fleet.

Moline has been recognized nationally as a leader in environmental best practices. For the fifth year in a row, the City of Moline will be acknowledged as being in the “100 Best Fleets” in the country. The 2010 awards will take place at the Government Fleet Expo & Conference (GFX) held on June 21-23 in Austin, Texas. The 100 best fleets are evaluated on a criteria for excellence, which includes accountability, use of technology and information, collaboration, creativity, high trust culture, performance recognition, quick efficient turnaround, competitive pricing, staff development and resources stewardship.

Moline's fleet has also earned the designation as a “Green Fleet” by the Illinois EPA. Below are some of the pollution prevention and recycling initiatives of Moline’s Fleet:

• Recycling cardboard, paper, batteries (all sizes), aluminum, copper and metal. Cardboard, paper and batteries are collected at no charge to the City of Moline; Aluminum, copper and metal is sold for revenue.
• Reclaiming refrigerant, engine oil, hydraulic fluids and coolant. Refrigerant is recycled and reused in-house, engine coolant is recycled at no charge. Engine oils and hydraulic oils are recycled and currently sold for revenue.
• All oil and fluid filters are drained for 24 hours and crushed.
• All crushed filters are collected and then recycled.
• Most parts are washed in an aquatic parts washer. Oil that is removed from the parts during the cleaning process is skimmed off and recycled.
• Cleaning solvent in the parts cleaning sink is used for 16 weeks and then recycled.
• When possible, the cleaning of brake parts is performed using a brake parts cleaning machine and the cleaning fluid is recycled every 16 weeks.
• Moline sensors have been installed for lighting in areas of intermittent occupancy.
• Oil separation devices have been installed in all floor drains and contaminants are collected annually.
• Technicians use cloth shop towels that are professionally cleaned weekly, reducing the use of paper towels.
• The City of Moline is using 90-10 Ethanol blended fuel in all autos and light trucks.
• The City of Moline is using E85 in 50 Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) currently.
• The City of Moline is using B20 Soy Biodiesel in all the Diesel Fuel trucks and equipment.
• Aerosol cans are pierced and drained and then crushed and the containers are recycled.
• The City of Moline has purchased 12 hybrid vehicles which are used by police detectives and building inspectors.
• Moline purchased an electric vehicle (Gator) for trash collection along the river front.
• Special mop heads are used for cleaning up oil and antifreeze spills, reducing the use of oil-dry containment methods.
Goals for 2010 and beyond include:
• Examining opportunities to reduce the use of aerosol cleaning products.
• Further reducing the use of paper towels.

Fleet Services is a division of Public Works with responsibility for purchasing, maintaining and disposing of the City’s entire fleet of 380 vehicles and pieces of equipment. 157 of the City’s vehicles use E-85 or Biodiesel fuel. The fleet division has 11 employees, and operates with both a day and night shift.

When asked how Moline decided to work on making their garage and fleet green, J.D. Schulte, Fleet Manager, commented, “It’s the right thing to do and it doesn’t cost any more to do it right. At first there was some chuckling from the guys, but it has become a much better work environment for the employees.”

Moline has a strong and ongoing commitment to green fleets and will continue to look for ways of improving processes and reducing the negative effects on the environment from their vehicles. Moline is also a “cool city” member, which is a collaboration between community members, organizations, businesses, and local leaders to implement clean energy solutions that save money, create jobs, and help curb global warming. One such initiative was establishing the Keep Moline Beautiful commission, whose mission is to create a healthy, sustainable community environment that promotes beautification, litter prevention and recycling. To volunteer or to just find out what Moline is doing to improve our environment, visit the new Keep Moline Beautiful website at www.keepmolinebeautiful.org

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