California garbage turns into vehicle fuel

SACRAMENTO, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Waste services company Waste Management and The Linde Group gas company announced a joint venture to produce vehicle fuel from a California landfill.

The companies announced their joint venture would produce renewable vehicle fuel at a facility located at the Altamont landfill, the world's largest landfill gas to liquefied natural gas plant in the world.

Linde operates the Altamont facility to purify and liquefy landfill gas collected by Waste Management from the decomposition of organic waste in the landfill.

The plant can produce up to 13,000 gallons of LNG each day. That is enough to fuel 300 vehicles in the Waste Management fleet, the companies said.

Linde added that its LNG from the Altamont landfill could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 30,000 tons per year.

The facility also falls in line with environmental directives by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to expand the use of biomass in transportation fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the state.

"The opening of the world's largest landfill gas to LNG plant right here in California is a milestone and a testament to our commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Linda Adams, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency.