Recology in San Francisco is testing a hydrogen-powered refuse truck in Redwood Shores and San Mateo County to reduce its carbon footprint during waste collection. The truck, built in partnership between New Way Trucks and Hyzon, features a hydrogen fuel cell and has proven to be more comfortable for drivers like Charles Esler, who noted the truck's efficiency in waste collection. Challenges remain in the widespread adoption of hydrogen-powered garbage trucks, such as production costs, limited hydrogen infrastructure, and potential carbon emissions from hydrogen production. Despite these challenges, the truck has shown promising performance, maintaining power across different terrains and completing approximately 1,100 waste collection lifts per day in San Mateo County. The hydrogen fuel cell technology offers benefits like quieter operation, regenerative braking, and the ability to maintain full payload capacity without the need for additional batteries. While hydrogen production may result in life-cycle carbon emissions, the truck eliminates harmful emissions associated with diesel trucks. If successful, Recology aims to purchase more hydrogen trucks to comply with California's transition to zero-emission trucks law by 2042. However, the high cost of hydrogen trucks remains a significant barrier to adoption, with manufacturing costs ranging from hundreds of thousands to a million dollars.