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Shaping the future of landfills.
Waste Management has taken a leading role in the
development of Next Generation TechnologySM,
which transforms landfills from waste repositories into waste treatment
systems.
At 10 landfills across the U.S. and Canada, Waste
Management is applying its Next Generation TechnologySM
to accelerate the decomposition of waste. By circulating air, collected
landfill liquid and other liquids, such as stormwater or wastewater,
back through the waste mass in a landfill, the decomposition of
waste can occur in years instead of decades. This improves compaction
and extends the useful life of the landfill without expanding its
size. Additionally, this technology produces more landfill gas over
a shorter time, allowing greater gas recovery, better emissions
control and more efficient gas-to-energy utilization. As a result,
the landfill is stabilized more quickly, which means the land can
be converted to other useful purposes sooner.
Working with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), state agencies and
leading researchers, we are contributing to studies of the environmental
and economic benefits of Next Generation TechnologySM.
Although it represents relatively small changes
in the way landfills operate, our
Next Generation TechnologySM has the potential to transform the
landfills of the
future from permanent waste repositories to waste treatment systems
and energy
generation facilities, with far greater benefit to communities.
Learn more about our Waste to Energy Projects:
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