Landfills

Colorado county receives award for ADC method

Mesa County Solid Waste Management in Colorado was recently recognized for its alternative daily cover (ADC) method at its landfill. The department won a program innovation award from the North America Hazardous Materials Management Association (NAHMMA), Westminster, Colorado, for using discarded latex paint as ADC.

The Mesa County Solid Waste Management landfill is the first in the state to use this method. The paint is designed to prevent interaction between waste and the air, reduces odors and gives incoming and outgoing vehicles a steady driving base, county officials say.

Before using the paint method, the facility used soil. However, Jennifer Richardson, Mesa County compliance manager, says the landfill is going through a soil deficit and needed another technique to cover the landfill.

The landfill has a household hazardous waste collection facility on-site where residents bring latex paint that officials would otherwise ship out for proper disposal. After using it as ADC, the landfill saved $11,300 by not shipping the paint out, and thousands of more dollars have been saved through litter control.

Waste Management completes solar farm at closed Massachusetts landfill

Houston-based Waste Management (WM), in partnership with project owner Captona Partners, New York City, recently completed construction on a 5-megawatt (MW) solar farm at the closed Hudson/Stow Landfill, Hudson, Massachusetts.

Closed since 1997, the landfill now contains 18,216 solar panels on more than 28 acres of land. The site’s 5 MW capacity generates enough energy to power 1,000 homes in the region.

“Solar farms require a lot of area, and closed landfills make excellent sites for them,” says Chris DeSantis, area vice president, WM. “Waste Management has developed similar projects at other closed facilities across the country. We are pleased to add Hudson/Stow, which is now one of four closed landfill sites in Massachusetts that are generating renewable, solar energy.”

Two additional sites, MT Sullivan Landfill (2 MW), Chicopee, Massachusetts, and Berkley Landfill (3.6 MW), Berkley, Massachusetts, also were developed by Captona Partners, while the fourth site, Hunt Road Landfill (4.5 MW), Amesbury, Massachusetts, was developed by Boston-based nonprofit Citizens Energy Corp. Collectively, the four solar farms generate enough energy to power approximately 3,000 homes.

“We are excited to create additional, long-term value for the closed landfill by supplying clean energy to the area’s residents and businesses,” says Roshni Mali, director from Captona Partners and project manager for the Hudson/Stow, Berkley and Chicopee solar projects.