Trash or Treasure?

Universally speaking, garbage is a nasty notion. The word itself paints an unpleasant picture of slippery banana peels, unidentifiable gunk, and an unsightly mixture of all sorts. Blessed is the day upon which the trucks arrive to gather and banish a week’s worth of waste to unseen regions. Out of sight, out of mind indeed. Fortunately, for both us and the environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a bit of a different agenda. This grand plan, known as the Landfill Methane Outreach Program, (LMOP), is an attempt to encourage and aid the use of landfill gas an energy resource.

First the facts. According to statistics from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, municipal solid waste landfills are considered the second largest source of human-related methane within the country. The negative aspect of this finding is the fact that methane will eventually makes its way into the atmosphere and attempt to wreak havoc in the form of smog, climate change, and other unpleasant conditions. The positive aspect lies within the possibility of capturing and converting methane emissions into clean, renewable energy.

The process. Technically speaking, landfill gas is a substance that is a result of solid waste that has decomposed within a landfill. The end result is a substance that is partially composed of both methane and carbon dioxide. Two big no no’s. The fix? A process in which landfill gas is captured, converted and put to good use: a source of energy. For those interested in details, here’s the breakdown. After the landfill gas is extracted (by either a series of wells or vacuum system) the collected gas is gathered in a central point where it is processed, stored, and ready to be used. How so? The options, which are endless, include electricity to fire up your latest gadget, alternative vehicle fuel to give you a boost on the road, or heat to keep you warm in the depths of winter.

Recent studies show that there are approximately 500 landfill gas projects that are functioning across the nation, in addition to another 500 that are in line to get up and running. Ford, Frito Lay, GM, and Stouffer’s are a few examples of corporations that have opted to use landfill gas as an alternative fuel. We have finally discovered how “one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure”. In order to learn more about the life cycle of your trash, visit the U.S. Environmental Agency’s website for the Landfill Methane Outreach Program.