Solving Waste Together Landfills

The Making of a Modern Landfill

The scene you might picture when you hear the word “landfill” is a thing of the past. Today’s landfills are sophisticated, engineered structures that contribute to environmental safety and sustainability. Beyond being safe places to store waste, they are often sources of renewable energy and frequently serve new purposes after closure. Landfills are filled over many decades and are monitored for decades after closure. Therefore, Waste Management takes a long-term view of these sites, ensuring that we mitigate potential impacts and keep communities safe and secure for generations to come.

Thousands of pumps, valves, blowers and flares are required for the safe management of modern landfills. Ongoing collection of data from these assets, often collected by checking meters positioned throughout landfill sites, is essential for landfills’ safe operation.

A new system known as Connected Landfills simplifies this work, equipping landfill assets with internet-connected devices and sensors. Technicians are able to review data remotely via dashboards on mobile devices, allowing them to monitor changes, make decisions and even directly interact with equipment with the push of a button. With less time spent in transit, landfill employees will be able to spend more time managing landfills’ productivity and health. Based on its success, we plan to expand our use of this technology to other sites. Learn more about how Waste Management operates landfills safely and sustainably and helps grow our industry’s base of knowledge on this topic.

Renewable Energy Generation: Capturing the Value of Waste

At 124 of our landfills, Waste Management creates economic and environmental value from waste by turning landfill gas into energy. As organic material decomposes in an anaerobic environment, it naturally produces landfill gas, which is roughly half carbon dioxide and half methane. We capture this methane and use it beneficially as an alternative to fossil fuel. This landfill gas, or biogas, is recognized by the U.S. EPA as a renewable energy resource.

In 2019, approximately 55% of biogas collected at Waste Management-owned and -operated facilities went to beneficial use projects. Waste Management is the largest developer and operator in North America.

We are continually looking for opportunities to develop new beneficial use projects. Proximity and accessibility to energy infrastructure makes projects more cost effective. While larger landfills tend to have greater potential, smaller landfills can also support beneficial use projects.

Renewable Electricity

Today, our most frequent application for biogas is to generate electricity that is sold to public utilities, municipal utilities and power cooperatives.

In this arrangement, the amount of renewable electricity delivered into the grid by one user must equal the amount of renewable electricity taken off the same grid by another user. This process has been used to offset traditional electricity with renewable energy for decades.

Renewable Fuel

Beyond electricity generation, we are also a leader in converting landfill gas into natural gas fuels that are distributed for use in residences, businesses and commercial vehicles, including our own. Renewable natural gas (RNG) produced from processed landfill gas now fuels over 40% of our natural gas trucks. Learn more about how we focus on sustainability within our fleet.

Waste Management is both a producer and end-user of renewable natural gas. With cleanup to remove water, carbon dioxide (CO2) and other trace elements, the landfill gas can be converted into RNG, a pipeline-quality gas that is fully interchangeable with conventional natural gas. As with electricity, the gas input and outflow must be on the same gas pipeline system, so it is carefully recorded for accuracy.

Our newest and most advanced RNG facility is located at our Skyline Landfill in Ferris, Texas. It began injecting pipeline-quality gas into the Atmos Energy system in early 2020.

Providing Long-Term Value

Sooner or later, all landfills reach capacity. But that doesn’t mean they have reached the end of their useful life. After closure, monitoring continues, according to strict standards to ensure their long-term safety. Waste Management can convert land surrounding closed disposal sites into beneficial community assets. We currently lease eight closed landfills for solar energy development, which collectively generate 60 megawatts of power. Our newest installation opened in 2019 at the Cinnaminson Landfill in New Jersey, as part of the U.S. EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Initiative. Read more about Waste Management’s solar energy applications at closed landfills.

Beyond providing valuable land for renewable energy projects, closed landfills are often converted into recreational spaces such as parks, golf courses and athletic fields, as well as nature preserves and habitat for wildlife. For example, the El Sobrante Landfill in Southern California is being converted to wildlife habitat as portions of the landfill are closed. It is one of 79 Waste Management landfills that host Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC)-certified habitat sites, which together encompass nearly 18,000 acres of land. The restored El Sobrante Landfill and wildlife preserve will eventually span over 1,300 acres of open space for the protection of 31 sensitive plant and animal species. El Sobrante is also located in an important migratory path for birds and other wildlife. Its permanent protected status means it will play a vital role in the local ecosystem well into the future. Read more about Waste Management’s work with WHC and the social and environmental benefits of Waste Management’s nature preserves and wildlife habitat at closed landfills.