Republic Services transfers ownership of landfill covers

In a move to continue development of solar landfill cover technology for the solid waste industry, Republic Services Inc. transferred the ownership of its solar landfill cover technology to Carlisle Energy Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Carlisle Construction Materials Incorporated (CCM) and a Pennsylvania-based solar systems provider.

“Our core business is managing society’s waste,” said Brian Bales executive vice president of business development, Republic. “We best serve our customers and shareholders by focusing on that mission while supporting continued technological advances for the solid waste industry. Our alliance with Carlisle will enable them to further develop and market this technology.”

In April 2009, Republic combined a first-of-its-kind solar cover technology with an existing gas-to-energy system to turn its Tessman Road Landfill in San Antonio, Texas into a sustainable energy park. The solar energy cap covers a portion of the closed area of the landfill with flexible, laminate-type photovoltaic solar collection strips that are adhered directly to synthetic geomembrane. The solar strips convert sunlight directly into electricity and complement the amount of renewable energy provided by the landfill.

“The industry has struggled for years with beneficial uses of landfill caps,” said Brian Bales, “This solar cap is an innovation that allows us to realize considerable benefit for the landfill and generates clean, renewable energy. Geomembrane covers are already in use across the country, but Republic is the first to integrate flexible solar cell technology to create an energy-producing cover system.”

Republic is planning to place a solar cap on a portion of its Hickory Ridge landfill in Conley, Georgia in 2010. The technology will be implemented at other company landfills where appropriate.