Georgia’s DeKalb becomes the first county government to go ‘green’ with recycling landfills and providing power to the Atlanta homes. The DeKalb County landfill harness power from gas produced from rotting food scraps and moldering paper of its landfill!
A county-owned landfill that has been emitting the harmful methane all these days, injuring the residents’ health, is now been recycled to create electricity with the help of two 20-cylinder engines.
Now about two-thirds of the methane emitted from the decomposing garbage is now used in producing electricity. Billy Malone, an assistant director with the county’s sanitation division said,
We’re producing enough electricity for about 3,000 homes.
Though it is a small step compared to the massive coal-fired plants that dot Georgia, the step is strong towards producing “green” energy.
Under a 10-year agreement, the utility will be buying electricity from the county at nearly twice the power-cost from coal. And, according to Malone, it eventually should cover the county’s $5 million cost within five years.
Malone further informed,
Any profit thereafter will reduce sanitation rates.
