Dive Brief:

• The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) generated around $1 million within the first year of participating in a methane project. Once the facility reaches full capacity, it has the potential to bring in $2 to $3 million annually.
• SWACO partnered with a Novi, MI-based renewable energy company, Aria Energy. The firm refines methane and carbon-dioxide gas produced at the landfill, and sells it in California. 
• The gas produced in a day can power about 12 homes per year.

Dive Insight:

"Gas that was part of a greenhouse problem is part of a green-energy solution," SWACO board chairman Dave Bush said. SWACO has 177 natural gas collection points located on the landfill, with miles of pipes underground positioned to remove the gas for refining at the Aria plant built on the adjacent property. 

The system pumps the gas into a pipeline and sells it to a power company in California. Aria has a 20 year contract with the municipal utilities district in Sacramento, CA.