This is astory that aired on OETA Public Television’s The Oklahoma News Report in Tulsa Oklahoma as reported by Cathy Tatom and photojournalist Tim Carson. For more information or to contact us, please go to www.oeta.tv The verbatim script follows below… BACK IN THE ’80’s, SOME LANDFILLS BEGAN RECOVERING METHANE GAS PRODUCED BY ROTTING GARBAGE TO KEEP ODORS DOWN. NOW A FEW ARE TAKING THE PROCESS ONE STEP FURTHER IN AN EFFORT TO GO GREEN. THEY’RE RECYCLING THE GAS INTO A CHEAP, RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE. OETA’S CATHY TATOM TAKES US TO A TULSA LANDFILL RECYLING ITS METHANE GAS TO HELP POWER A NEARBY CEMENT PLANT. TRASH COLLECTED FROM TULSA AND MANY OF ITS SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES IS DUMPED INTO THE QUARRY LANDFILL TO DECOMPOSE. THE PROCESS RESULTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF LOTS OF FOUL SMELLING METHANE GAS AS THE GARBAGE ROTS. TO KEEP THE STENCH FROM OVERWHELMING THOSE DOWN WIND, PETE SCHULTZE SAYS WASTE MANAGEMENT LACES ITS TRASH PITS WITH METHANE GAS COLLECTION WELLS. Pete Schultze/Waste Management: “Very similar to natural gas wells in the ground and then we put a vacuum on the wells and we actually suck the gas right from the landfill.” IN THE PAST, THE METHANE EXTRACTED FROM THE LANDFILL WAS SIMPLY FLARED OFF. THAT WASTED THIS CHEAP, PLENTIFUL, RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCE. NOW RATHER THAN WASTE IT, THE WASTE MANAGEMENT COMPANY RECYCLES IT. “We’re taking a greenhouse gas like methane and making renewable energy with the waste that people put in our landfills.” Cathy: “To show …
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