Monthly Archives: April 2013

Phoenix Ramps Up For Waste Improvements

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The city of Phoenix, Arizona is starting a new solid waste disposal and recycling plan with an end goal of diverting forty percent of waste materials from local landfills by the year 2020.

The new plan comes in response to the public release of the city’s current waste diversion rate, only thirteen percent, for the past fiscal year. The rate is considered less than the national average for cities of comparable sizes to Phoenix.

Calling the plan, 40 by 20, the city is partnering with Arizona-based Earth911 as well as an advertising agency to help create messaging and educational resources designed for residents, business owners, schools, and property owners. The city is also evaluating the recycling practices of similar cities to what what can be done differently and better. Part of this is the creation of a Center for Excellence in Solid Waste Research which will assist the city and local businesses in identifying new uses and solutions for municipal solid waste.

City officials say that the time is right to boost the diversion rate as a way to not only preserve the natural beauty of the city but also as a way to stimulate the local economy by adding jobs and businesses in the “green” sector.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: Even if your waste recycling rate is lower than your competitors, it’s never to late to create a plan for improvement. Get ideas from other businesses both inside your sector as well as outside. You might be surprised by what you’ll learn and what can be done to boost your recycling and save money!

Smaller Cities Explore Landfill Gas Opportunities

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More and more smaller cities and towns are successfully turning landfill gas into vehicle fuel despite the fact that they are a small city with less landfill space and resources. Thanks to new scientific enhancements, smaller landfills can now efficiently generate fuel at economical costs.

When the practice of turning landfill gas to vehicle fuel was first introduced, it was only cost efficient for the largest of landfills as the minimum requirement was one thousand cubic feet of landfill gas per minute. However, the technology is now available so that disposal sites producing even a few hundred cubic feet per minute can take advantage and harness the gas into usable energy.

The development and use of landfill gas has been very successful over the past few years in the United States and due to its growth, municipalities are now looking for ways to use it to generate electricity as well as to pipe the vehicle fuel directly to users and buyers. For municipalities that have fleets of cars and trucks to maintain, landfill gas is a great way to control for skyrocketing gasoline prices imported from other countries.

For example, in Washington Parish, Louisiana, fifteen parish-owned vehicles are now completely fueled by landfill gas. In St. Landry Parish, the landfill gas program generates ten gallons of gasoline each hour and is used to fuel vehicles for both garbage and recycling collection and the sheriff’s department.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: What are your elected officials doing to embrace new technologies like turning landfill gas into vehicle fuel? Whether you’re a business owner, a home-owner, or just an interested citizen, encouraging your community to go green will help to save everyone money!