Thumbs up: Trash collection might be a dirty business, but York Waste is investing $21 million to help make our air cleaner.

The company is using the money to replace 65 of its 100 diesel-powered trucks in York with natural gas vehicles, said Mark Pergolese, general manager for Republic Services, which operates York Waste.

Some of the new natural-gas-powered trucks will hit the road in York next week, he said, and Republic Services plans to replace the remaining 35 diesel-powered trucks in York in 2014.

York Waste will be the largest central Pennsylvania operation to use a compressed natural gas fueling station for all of its vehicles, according to the company.

Pergolese said the public will notice the natural gas trucks are quieter than the diesel-fueled vehicles -- and the new trucks also bring environmental benefits.

"Natural gas is a clean-burning domestic fuel source that supports energy independence," he said. "It actually eliminates greenhouse gases that are emitted, reducing the impact on the environment."

Thumbs up: To the artists who added a much-needed dose of character to a stretch of North George Street in York City.

Ten pieces of original street art, dotting the sidewalks between the Judicial Center and Sovereign Bank Stadium art, were unveiled earlier this month, marking the completion of a project to spruce up North George Street in the hope of drawing pedestrians to the area.

By the looks of things, it seems to be working. Already people are stopping to admire the unusual sculptures or have their pictures taken with them.

Among the creations is a larger-than-life cat made from horseshoes, an 8-foot-tall rooster and a bronze statue of the Tin Man.

The makeover is the work of the North George Street Alliance, a group of downtown merchants who teamed with an anonymous donor to commission local artists for the sculptures.

The group is also responsible for new sidewalk curbs and crosswalks installed last summer at intersections between North Street and Continental Square. Like the street art, the work was paid for by an anonymous donor and didn't cost taxpayers a dime.

It's a project that was two years in the making and modeled after Beaver Street, where local merchants turned their area into an artist haven that attracts visitors with its studios and functional pieces of street art.

"We told Mayor Bracey we'd be next," said Judd Lando, a member of the North George Street alliance.

Now who's next?