Landfill to turn pollutant into power
By: Carmen Forman, The Roanoke Times.
The Roanoke County landfill intends to turn stinky gas into big cash while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Smith Gap Regional Landfill on the outskirts of Roanoke County is using a giant vacuum to suck up environmentally harmful gasses from the mound of garbage and destroy them. Eventually, instead of burning the so-called landfill gas, it will be refined and used to power businesses, colleges and possibly homes in the area.
“We knew that eventually we were going to have to do it,” said Dan Miles, Roanoke Valley Resource Authority chief executive officer. “It’s the right thing to do. It really is.”