Waste-to-energy firm Covanta Energy Corp. and Clean Energy Fuels Corp. opened a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station in Newark, N.J., to serve waste and recycling trucks in northern New Jersey and New York City.

It’s the first station built as part of the partnership between the Morristown, N.J.-based Covanta and the Seal Beach, Calif.-based Clean Energy to expand the CNG fueling structure across the United States, according to a news release.

The Newark station was built and will be maintained by Clean Energy on the site of Covanta’s waste-to-energy facility.

“This new CNG station is an important step in building out necessary infrastructure to support the transition to modern fleets of garbage trucks fueled by natural gas, and that transition will provide economic and environmental benefits to the communities we serve,” said Anthony Orlando, Covanta president and CEO.

“This partnership is expected to enable more fleets and customers around the country to take advantage of the economic benefits of natural gas while reducing their carbon footprint in the community – a true win-win,” said Andrew Littlefair, Clean Energy president and CEO.

The Newark fueling station is partially funded by a U.S. Department of Energy federal stimulus grant.