For us sneering at the notion of plastics and biodegradability, it is time to stand back and jump up!
Arizona-based ENSO Bottles, LLC is now producing plastic drinking bottles that will not only biodegrade in the dark, anaerobic environment of a landfill, the microbes that ingest it then create methane which can be captured and converted to energy, points out co-founder and president, Danny Clark. “When our bottles go into the landfill, the idea is that the bottled will break down and create methane.”
Thus Clark can proudly list one of his company’s operating mantras that it develops products that can create value when they are discarded. Clark says there is no exact time for how long it takes his bottles to break down, but estimated the time to be about two years.
By G. Riley Meyers •
February 17, 2009
There is plenty enough to know about all the trash we create and the wastefulness of our ways. But when you meet Colorado architect, Doug Eichelberger, you are happy to find a person who is all about solutions, putting trash to use as a building material.
A visit to his Lucky Ranch reveals a very special looking barn, built out of trash. He used scrap plastic for the foundation blocks, then erected walls of baled trash paper. The wall materials were inexpensive and provided excellent insulating quality, says Eichelberger.
By G. Riley Meyers •
November 13, 2008
Notorious for producing the greenhouse gas, methane, and then having to flare it off to avoid the potential danger of explosions, landfills are now converting this gas to electricity that can be fed to the grid.
This September, the Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site, known as DADS, brought its waste-to-energy capabilities online, powering four V-16 Caterpillar engines that generate and sell electricity to utilities company, Xcel Energy.
