Republic Services and Renewable Solutions open landfill gas facility

Renewable Solutions Group and Republic Services, Inc. announced the opening of Georgia’s first high BTU landfill gas facility. The Winder Renewable Methane Facility is located at the Oak Grove Landfill near Atlanta and will provide a locally produced, cost-effective source of renewable energy for residential and commercial customers.

The Winder Renewable Methane Facility began operations in December of 2008. By converting landfill gas to pipeline-quality gas, the project will not only offer economic cost-savings which are passed along to thousands of Georgia residents and establishments, but also provides environmental benefits.

According to the EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program emission reductions and environmental and energy benefits calculator, the plant’s full capacity (over 2,500 dekatherms per day) will supply enough fuel to heat 10,500 homes. The process also results in the reduction of 44,500 tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year.

Republic Services, a provider of environmental services, uses innovative technologies to capture and use renewable energy from decomposing waste in landfills.

Landfill gas, which is created when organic material in a municipal solid waste landfill decomposes, consists of about 50 percent methane (CH4), which as a greenhouse gas is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The gas from the Oak Grove Landfill is collected, processed and sold as pipeline-quality gas. Currently, there are more than 65 landfill gas facilities located on landfills owned by Republic Services.