Gas from trash to power homes

Trash is coming in handy: More than 2,500 Murray homes will be powered by electricity churned from methane gas naturally created by garbage at the county landfill.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials joined local leaders Wednesday at the Salt Lake Valley Solid Waste Management Facility, 6030 W. California Ave., for an official ribbon-cutting for the project that will use landfill methane to generate electricity.

Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon said the process will reduce emissions that would otherwise be released from the landfill. The gas — primarily carbon dioxide and methane — is the natural by-product of the decomposition of solid waste in landfills.

"Utilizing the methane gas created by a landfill is an effective means of reducing overall greenhouse-gas emissions," Corroon said at the ribbon-cutting. "The key to these projects is that they utilize an otherwise wasted fuel source and displace the use of other fuel sources such as fossil fuels and nuclear energy."

The electricity to power the Murray homes will be generated by three reciprocating engines that produce three megawatts of clean power.

The project is the second in the state to harness landfill gas to generate energy. Davis County is the only other location in the state creating electricity out of garbage. Two engines at the Wasatch Integrated Management District supply electricity to Hill Air Force Base.

The EPA is trying to identify other projects across the country that would provide a clean and secure energy source, like the Utah landfill projects. The agency said that it wants to promote the use of landfill gas and help businesses, states, energy providers and communities protect the environment and build a sustainable future by preventing methane emissions.

"Using methane gas from landfills as an energy source is one way to promote a better environment and energy security," Robert E. Roberts, the EPA's director of Region 8, which includes Utah, said in a statement.

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