South Bend goes green with new garbage trucks

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The city of South Bend is going green with new garbage trucks.

Monday, ABC 57 got our first look at the new trucks which are part of the city's new solid waste plan.

The plan will save the city money and will cut back on fuel consumption. The trucks run on compressed natural gas.

The Director of Central Services says the trucks will save the city about $50,000 a year.

"The big thing is it's going to pay for itself. The compressed natural gas vehicle to outfit it is just over $31,000 per truck. We're going to save $2.47 per gallon of fuel. So the payoff is going to be about 2 1/2 years it will pay for itself," said Matt Chlebowski.

A grant paid for two of the four trucks and South Bend could get three more by the end of the year.