Republic Services Landfill Powering Anheuser-Busch Brewery

Republic Services is providing biogas from its McCarty Road Landfill to the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Houston for use as an alternative fuel source. Once processed, the gas is carried through a six-mile pipeline to the Anheuser-Busch brewery to help generate steam energy for the brewery’s power plant. More than 55 percent of the brewery’s fuel demand will be supplied by this new alternative fuel source.

The benefit of this clean energy project is equivalent to planting more than 121,050 acres of pine or fir trees or taking 97,550 motor vehicles off the road. Additional gas from the McCarty Road landfill also is captured, processed and sold to a local utility.

"McCarty Road Landfill has been an important part of the community for more than 34 years," said Rusty Waldrup, area president, Republic Services. "As a key employer and a long-time supporter of community initiatives, we're excited to be part of an important alternative energy project." McCarty Road Landfill is the main recipient of refuse from the residents and businesses in east Houston and the surrounding suburbs. The landfill employs more than 124 area residents.

"We routinely evaluate innovative energy technologies to help support our operations and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels," said Richard Wohlfarth, general manager of Anheuser-Busch’s Houston brewery. "In addition to utilizing this alternative source of fuel, through active conservation efforts at our Houston brewery we've reduced our fuel usage by 15 percent and our electricity use by more than five percent in the last 18 months. We take great pride in our ongoing efforts to reduce our environmental impacts by increasing efficiencies at our facilities and using innovative technologies while maintaining our quality standards."

The project was developed as part of a partnership with Ameresco that constructed and operates a biogas processing facility on the landfill’s property. "This project is truly a marquis project for both Anheuser-Busch and Republic Services," said Michael Bakas, Ameresco's vice president renewable energy.  "The entire team was dedicated to making this renewable energy project happen despite the challenges."  The project broke ground in March of 2008 and was completed in May of 2009.

Such projects are win-win opportunities for all parties involved, whether they are the landfill owner/operators, the local utility, the local government, or the surrounding community. Even before landfill gas projects produce profits from the sale or use of electricity, they produce a related benefit for communities: jobs. These projects involve engineers, construction firms, equipment vendors, and utilities or end-users of the power produced. Much of this cost is spent locally for drilling, piping, construction, and hiring operational personnel, providing additional economic benefits to the community through increased employment and local sales. Once the system is in place, the captured gas can be sold for use as fuel or be converted and sold on the energy market as a renewable “green” power. In so doing, the community can turn a financial liability into an asset and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The McCarty Road Landfill gas project is one of 75 alternative energy projects at Republic Services' landfills nationwide.

Read about more companies using energy from landfills.