SMA's Reid Allan, P.G. and the Environmental Business Line operate landfill systems that save the planet. Really.
The Rooney Road landfill in Golden, Colorado utilizes an open flame flare (candlestick flare) to control and treat the landfill gas, destroying 98% of the methane. Bill Brown, Melissa Hinman, and Jeff Wilkinson in DCO operate two of these systems at Denver-area landfills. Landfill gas is produced as the buried household waste naturally breaks down. Methane is about 86 times more potent than CO2 in terms of global warming potential.
Collection of the gas below grade prevents gas migration off the landfill property which can cause explosion hazards for the public. And, it is an effective method for decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions from landfills that would otherwise vent to the atmosphere. The systems destroy over 4.2 million pounds of landfill gas each year. That's the equivalent of saving the "emissions" from 21,000 cows per year! It adds up to a major positive impact on greenhouse gas.