Date: April 17, 2009
Source: Republic Services, Inc.
Republic Services' Courtney Ridge Landfill to Supply Methane Gas To Cement Plant
Innovative Landfill Gas Utilization Project Will Reduce Coal Use for Cement Production
Republic Services Inc. (NYSE: RSG), which merged with Allied Waste in 2008, will provide landfill gas, a locally produced, cost-effective source of renewable energy, from its Courtney Ridge Landfill to the neighboring Lafarge-Sugar Creek Cement Plant. Lafarge, the largest supplier of cement products in the U.S. and Canada, will use landfill gas to replace nearly 20 percent of its coal at the Sugar Creek cement plant. The project will use 2,400 cubic feet per minute of landfill gas as a direct fuel to assist in firing the kiln during Portland cement production.
"Landfill gas projects are a win-win opportunity for all parties involved, including the landfill owner/operators, the local utility, the local government, and the surrounding community," said Republic Area President Jeff Kintzle. "The landfill gas utilization project successfully takes advantage of a resource that would have otherwise been wasted, and in the process, produces benefits for the environment, the local community, the cement plant and the landfill."
On April 17, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II, who serves on the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, representatives from the USEPA, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the City of Sugar Creek, Republic Services and Lafarge participated in an open house and landfill tour at the Courtney Ridge Landfill. A dedication followed at the Rumble Landfill in Sugar Creek.
Landfill gas, which is created when organic material in a municipal solid waste landfill decomposes, consists of about 50 percent methane, a greenhouse gas that is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The methane currently captured and destroyed at the Courtney Landfill will instead be utilized as fuel in the production of Portland cement thanks to the vision of Republic Services and Lafarge. The project will reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 33,000 tons annually, which is the equivalent of planting more than 8,000 acres of forest or removing emissions from more than 5,500 motor vehicles.
Currently, there are more than 70 landfill gas facilities located on landfills owned by Republic Services.
Republic supported Lafarge's efforts to build the nearly $2 million project that consists primarily of a pipeline and gas processing unit. The Courtney Ridge Landfill's recently expanded gas recovery system consists of 32 wells, averaging 100 feet deep, over a 64 acre area. The landfill gas recovery system delivers gas to an on-site gas processing unit which compresses and removes moisture from the gas, measures its volume and heat value, and transports it via a pipeline to the cement plant. The gas pipeline is 6,500 feet long and runs from the landfill underneath MO-291 Highway to the neighboring cement plant.
About Republic Services
Republic Services, Inc. has been building on success since its inception in 1998, becoming an industry-leading provider of waste and environmental services. The company provides trash collection services to commercial, industrial, municipal and residential customers in 40 states and Puerto Rico through its 400 collection companies. Republic Services owns or operates 242 transfer stations, 213 solid waste landfills and 78 recycling facilities. The company is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona and has more than 35,000 employees. For more information, visit the Republic Services web site at www.republicservices.com.
For more information, contact:
John McConnell
816.257.2185 x23
or
Peg Mulloy
Manager of Media Relations
Republic Services, Inc.
18500 N. Allied Way
Phoenix, AZ 85054
480.627.2887
mulloyp@repsrv.com
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