Waste Management has inaugurated a gas-to-energy power plant at its Lockwood Landfill in northern Nevada, US.
The power project will use landfill gas produced onsite to generate electricity and will produce enough renewable energy to power about 1,800 homes.
When organic materials, like food and yard waste, decompose, they create a gas comprised of about 55% methane, Waste Management said.
The company placed collection wells all over the site to collect the gas and then pipe it to the power plant, where it is used as a fuel to run two generators.
As per the company, the power project, which went online in March, will offset the use of about 700 railcars’ worth of coal.
Waste Management spokesperson Justin Caporusso said the gas-to-energy facility at the Lockwood Landfill ensures that not even garbage will go to waste.
"By investing in landfill gas-to-energy, we are powering homes using the same waste that is left at the curb," Caporusso said.
Waste Management is a provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America.