Here are a few examples of zero waste to landfill programs. Low or zero waste policies and programs diminish landfill use. As landfills are also a potent source of methane emissions, some companies are putting these sites to use by utilizing these emissions as fuel.
Landfills have been closing across the US. This includes the recent closure of Puente Hills, which is the largest landfill site in the US. This site has been closed after 56 years of operation.
Companies like Hershey are converting their plants so that they produce no waste destined for landfills. Hershey already has six plants that have achieved zero-waste-to-landfill (ZWL) status. Honda is another company that has converted the vast majority of its North America based plants to zero waste to landfill facilities. Zero waste to landfill is not a new phenomenon, as of 2012, Kraft already had 36 facilities in 13 countries that sent zero waste to landfills.
Others are making use of the gas that seeps from landfill sites. Waste Management is currently building a facility that will siphon natural gas from its Milam Landfill landfill. The goal is to fuel its fleet with the gas.
Not all the news about landfills is good news. Russia has broken its zero waste commitment and reneged on its pledge to contribute no Olympic construction waste to landfills. Consequently the nation will not be able to deliver on its promise to make the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the cleanest games in Olympic history.
© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
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