Mars snack food plant to get power from Waco landfill
16-MAY-2008
Members of the Mars Snackfood U.S. plant in Waco were joined by officials from the US Environmental Protection Agency to flip the switch on the company's first landfill gas project, a venture that will cut Mats' energy costs and the release of greenhouse gases into the environment. The project will use methane gas that is piped in from the city landfill to power two furnaces that create steam for the plant's chocolate-making operations.
'Turning waste into energy is a smart strategy for business and the environment,' said EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene. 'EPA is pleased to be working with partners like Mars Snackfood on innovative projects like this one that deliver clean, renewable sources of energy.'
In addition to saving the company US $600,000 a year in energy costs, the project will also reduce more than 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, which has the same environmental impact of avoiding the emissions of 1,900 cars. Methane, a primary component of landfill gas, is a greenhouse gas over 20 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.
'More than being a decision about the bottom line, this project is about taking responsibility for the future – for our business, for our Associates and their children, for our community, and definitely for our environment' said Mars Snackfood US President Todd Lachman. 'And the story today is not simply about Mars alone. It is a story of deep commitment and concern by multiple partners at every level in government in Texas. Again, I congratulate our partners in government, especially the City of Waco, the County of McLennan and the EPA, for their visionary leadership and dedication to a sustainable future for all.'
Mars Snackfood joins a growing list of companies to complete waste-to-energy projects as part of EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP). There are currently 21 operational projects in Texas and a total of 34 throughout the five-state area that makes up EPA Region 6.
To foster more development of waste-to-energy resources, EPA Region 6 has developed a pilot Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Strategic Geographic Planning tool that is designed to link waste producers with end users by identifying optimum locations for such projects. The region is currently working with the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory to expand the pilot to a national scale.
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