Residuals

What isnt recycled through curbside collection and sorting at our numerous material recovery facilities, is destined for a landfill. Working with our community partners and StopWaste.Org, Davis Street Resource Recovery Complex and Waste Management of Alameda County play vital roles in helping achieve their diversion goals. With a focus on Zero Waste, we continue to invest in technology to improve our recovery of recyclable and renewable materials.

In keeping with this commitment, we are closing the loop on existing waste at the Altamont Landfill, a Waste Management facility located near Livermore. Here landfill gas, produced from the decay of organic waste already in place, is being converted to clean-burning natural gas with the help of our technology partner, Linde North America. We use the LNG to fuel our transfer and collection vehicles.

It generates approximately 13,000 gallons a day of bio-fuel enough to power nearly 300 collection vehicles. Altamont bio-fuel is estimated to reduce 30,000 of carbon dioxide emissions annually and displace 2.25 million gallons of fossil fuel. And without the addition of another morsel of organic material it is expected to produce bio-fuel for 20 to 30 years.

Our fleet of 21 transfer trucks, carrying municipal solid waste from the Davis Street transfer station to the Altamont Landfill, runs on natural gas. Starting in 2012, a dedicated fueling station at the Altamont Landfill will deliver bio-fuel daily to the transfer trucks. In addition, Waste Management of Alameda County has pledged to replace its collection fleet with natural gas vehicles as we retire and purchase new trucks. As of 2011, nearly 1/3 of our fleet runs on natural gas.