By Valerie Wigglesworth, Dallas News.

MELISSA — Luke Morrow looked at the 30-foot-tall candlestick flare at the Collin County landfill and saw dollar signs disappearing.

"We are burning money, and it's very painful," said the president of Morrow Renewables, which started the final phase of testing earlier this month at the landfill's new gas-to-energy plant. The plant became operational on Dec. 15.

The flare burns off the gas generated by the decomposing solid waste at the landfill. It also helps control landfill odors. But with Morrow's help, that waste stream will now be a revenue stream.

The plant converts landfill gas into renewable natural gas, which will be fed into a pipeline for use at vehicle fueling stations. The technology has been around for some time, but it wasn't until recently that the Collin County landfill produced enough gas to make the project financially feasible.