Out of all things present on Earth, garbage is something that can neither decrease nor perish, but in fact keeps increasing year after year. Most of the garbage produced by the 6.7 billion people across the world is left to rot in the land fills, where during the process harmful greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane are imparted into the atmosphere. US has sorted out a way to use this waste to generate energy.

Landfill gas (LFG) energy plants have been set up at various places in the United States, where a number of wells and vacuum chambers are used to extract gas from the garbage decomposing in the land fills. The gas thus collected is sent to a central processing unit where it is treated. From here, the gas can be used for various purposes. Presently the gas generated from these projects is being used in prisons, hospitals, waste water treatment, food processing, pharmaceuticals, brick and cement manufacturing and many other industries.

LFG is also being used across US to provide power for over a million homes. If just a part of the garbage is giving so much energy, what wonders would the whole of it do? We all can say good bye to the poisonous fossil fuels. This is exactly what EPA’s LMOP (Landfill Methane Outreach Program) is doing.

Source: GreenStrides