Generators that run on the landfill gas. (Photo from Westar Energy)This year is the second anniversary of a program that produces energy from landfill gas in eastern Kansas. Westar Energy and Waste Management formed a partnership two years ago that led to the project. Waste Management built the facility at a landfill north of Topeka, and Westar agreed to purchase the electricity. Landfills produce methane as the trash breaks down. The facility collects the gas and uses it to power electrical generators. Stacy Kramer, with Westar, says in the past the gas was wasted.
The plant produces enough energy to power around 6,000 homes. Waste Management has around 130 of these facilities nationwide.