Bavarian Landfill

Many landfills have “passive” landfill gas collection systems, essentially wells with pipes positioned around the site, often with a flare at the surface to destroy the gas. These passive systems prevent that methane from escaping to the atmosphere, which is a tremendous benefit which TerraPass supports. Even better, though, are landfills with an added investment in “active” gas collection systems. Active systems pump the methane out, thus reducing the volume of gas which escapes to the air. And best of all are the landfill gas energy producers, landfills where the active gas collection systems are connected to large generators to create electricity. The Bavarian Landfill in Boone County, KY invested about $4 million to convert its passive gas collection system to an active system with electricity generation. When it’s running at capacity, the landfill produces enough electricity to power about 2000 homes. TerraPass supported this project by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates, providing a supplemental source of revenue in addition to the electricity itself. It’s our way of telling the world we like landfill gas, lots of it, when it’s put to such good use.