Missouri Landfill Biogas Generates Carbon Credits
The biogas collection system at the Newton-McDonald County Landfill in Neosho, Mo., is generating carbon credits, thanks to the work of Environmental Credit Corp., of Ithaca, N.Y.
The system will collect and combust the landfill gas (LFG) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions equivalent to roughly 40,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually for the next 10 years. This yearly GHG reduction is equivalent to taking 7,275 passenger cars off the road in the United States annually.
The Newton-McDonald County Landfill began its operations in 1974, reaching capacity and ceasing collection of additional waste material in 1997. Previous owners installed the LFG collection system in an effort to reduce GHG emissions, but the system was shut down when it became too expensive to maintain. Since then, the landfill has been releasing GHG into the atmosphere.
With the system back up, the new owners, Solid Waste Properties, turned to the credit firm for help in converting the captured LFG emissions into carbon credits. Revenue from the sale of carbon credits provides the income required to keep the emissions capture system up and running.
The credits are sold through the Chicago Climate Exchange. Following the rules outlined by the exchange, the landfill operates a pipeline network that collects LFG. After the gas is collected and purified, it is flared and metered according to program guidelines. The Newton-McDonald project will continue through 2018.
"This project is a win-win for the landfill owners and the Neosho community, because it solves the problem of reducing biogas emissions from a closed landfill site while generating the funds to implement this reduction," said Ed Heslop, chief executive officer. "This is an excellent example of the ability of environmental credits not only to reduce emissions, but to fund the methods through which facility owners can make changes to their operations that make these reductions possible."
Environmental Credit Corp. develops projects that reduce GHG emissions from agriculture, waste management, energy and other industries, creating carbon credits for sale into rapidly growing emissions trading markets in the United States and abroad.