Capturing Energy Riches from Our Waste Stream
Park Spark Project provides anaerobic digester, where dog waste is converted methane, a burnable fuel for this gas light. Photo: Park Spark Project
Times change, thankfully. Instead of thinking first about how to get rid of waste, more people are now asking how they might put parts of the waste stream to use.
Some landfills now capture methane to power massive generators that feed electricity to the grid; a California company makes biodegradable plastic from organic waste without using petroleum. The list of companies and people involved in promising and innovative work continues to grow.