The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) has named Waste Management, Inc. its 2011 Industry Partner of the Year for leadership in developing waste-based renewable energy.
Waste Management is the largest landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) developer and operator in North America and is continuing to expand its roster of energy facilities.
The awards were presented on January 18, 2012 at the 15th Annual LMOP Partner and Project of the Year Awards Ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland.
In 2011, Waste Management commissioned nine LFGTE facilities with a collective capacity of 29.5 MW, bringing the number of LFGTE facilities to 133 active projects in North America.
In total, these facilities produced the equivalent of 617 MW of power -- enough to power 473,000 homes, and offset the consumption of over 2.4 million tonnes of coal.
Waste Management plans to commission four additional projects in the first quarter of 2012 and is working on at least eight additional projects through its dedicated in-house project development team, which works on both Waste Management-owned sites and those owned by municipalities and industry partners.
"It is an honour to be recognized as a leading partner in this sector by the EPA, and a testament to the hard work of our team over the last several years," says Paul Pabor, vice president of renewable energy with Waste Management. "Waste Management developed much of the technology still in use today, and continues to find new ways to capture resources in waste. We're looking forward to continued innovation, creating electricity, generating renewable fuels and powering local businesses with the resources at our disposal."
Landfill gas, generated by the natural breakdown of organic materials in a landfill, contains large amounts of methane that can be collected to generate electricity, power local businesses or be turned into transportation fuel.