ORION, Mich., Sept. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Waste Management announced today that the company has completed construction of its new gas-to-energy facility at Eagle Valley Recycling and Disposal Facility in Orion, Michigan. With the state-of-the-art facility now fully operational, green energy is helping power more homes across southeast Michigan through an agreement between Waste Management and DTE Energy.

“Creating this facility ensures the waste we generate will be converted into a beneficial use,” said Chuck Cassie, Senior District Manager of Eagle Valley Recycling and Disposal Facility, which is owned by Waste Management of Michigan. “In addition to already providing green energy to General Motors Lake Orion’s Manufacturing facility, we have further invested in landfill gas-to-energy by constructing this new Renewable Energy Plant at Eagle Valley. Waste Management will continue to provide clean and renewable ‘green’ energy in our community of Orion.”

As waste naturally decomposes, it produces landfill gas, which can be captured and used as a green energy source and alternative to fossil fuels. At Eagle Valley, up to 1,200 cubic feet per minute of landfill gas is being channeled into two (2) 20 cylinder, 3520 Caterpillar engines to produce electricity. The electricity generated at Eagle Valley goes into DTE Energy’s electric grid.

The newly completed energy plant is designed to generate 3.2 megawatts of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of 2,700 Michigan homes.

“As Michigan and the rest of the nation look to invest in renewable energy, landfill gas is becoming more attractive because it is reliable,” Cassie said. “It’s important for residents to understand that landfill gas at Eagle Valley means reliable green energy production for the future.”

In addition to landfill gas-to-energy operations, Waste Management’s landfills also supply power to local businesses, including the General Motors assembly plant in Orion, a Ford Motor Company stamping plant in Wayne County and providing fuel for soybean dryers at a West Michigan business.

The U.S. EPA has endorsed landfill gas as an environmentally friendly resource that reduces reliance on coal, oil and other fossil fuels. Like wind and solar power, landfill gas is a resource that can be harnessed to produce energy and has many benefits and advantages compared to fossil fuels and other alternative energy sources.

Waste Management, the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services and the largest recycling company in North America, pioneered landfill gas-to-energy technology over two decades ago and operates more facilities than any other company in the United States. Waste Management currently owns or operates 132 landfill gas projects in North America.

One of Waste Management’s sustainability goals includes increasing the amount of waste-based energy produced. Currently, the company creates enough energy to power over one million homes, and it is looking to double that to two million by 2020.

ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is the largest residential recycler in North America and a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.

SOURCE Waste Management