Waste Management to convert landfill methane to electricity

By John Porretto
The Associated Press

HOUSTON, TX - Waste Management Inc., the nation's largest garbage hauler and landfill operator, plans to spend roughly $400 million over the next five years building facilities at 60 landfills, including some in Illinois, to convert methane gas to electricity.

It is Waste Management's most ambitious renewable energy project to date.

Landfills are the largest source of methane emissions in the United States, accounting for 34 percent of such releases, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Methane is the second-biggest man-made contributor to global warming behind carbon dioxide....Read more.