Dive Brief:
- Keene, NH, city government has teamed with the Local Farms Project to build a one-acre greenhouse and aquaculture system on the site of the closed Keene Landfill. When it is in full operation, the Keene Energy and Agriculture Project could produce 500,000 pounds of herbs and lettuce and 66,000 pounds of live tilapia annually for local grocers.
- Burning methane being off-gassed from the dump will provide heat and power for the greenhouse. A combined heat and power plant that is planned for the site will create 750 watts of energy to be used by the greenhouse and the city’s recycling center.
- Fertilizer for the herbs and lettuce will come from solid waste and effluent from the aquaculture system, combined with other nutrients. The facility is reportedly expected to recycle nearly all its water. The greenhouse roof will have a water retention system, enabling the facility to gather and store rainwater, said Donald McCormick, president of the Local Farms Project.
Dive Insight:
With a stated goal of creating carbon-negative food production in a cold climate, this project is unique and laudable. It could be blazing a new trail in the waste industry.
Gardeners know compost, manure, and other ingredients make for good soil and healthy plants, so this idea of creating a small farm and fishery atop a closed landfill has an organic simplicity. It should appeal to those without green thumbs and even those who don’t care for fish.
