City Council Member Lincoln Restler introduced new legislation last week which would ban ice cream trucks from using fossil fuel-powered generators in an effort to reduce air pollution.
Restler, who represents the 33rd city council district, said that the pollution stemming from one ice cream truck generator can create up to 165 pounds of carbon dioxide per day — the equivalent of burning 83 pounds of coal. As of 2017, over 200 ice cream trucks operated in the New York City area, emitting 33,000 pounds of CO2 daily.
The bill would force ice cream trucks to convert from using gas-powered generators to run their food equipment to solar panels — greatly reducing the amount of pollutants as well as the noise — over the next three years.
