Nobody wants trash, but a new Marathon County initiative is looking to turn it into treasure.
Gas, specifically methane, is produced when trash decomposes, and at the Marathon County Solid Waste Department's landfill in Ringle its normally burned off to prevent a buildup.
But a new project is trying to harness that gas for something more.
"Rather than just burning that and wasting that energy, we're collecting it," explained Dan Crouse, CEO of Viridi Energy, "We'll separate the methane that we want to use and the natural gas we want to use from the stuff we don't - and then just put it into the grid."
Crouse's company is spearheading the project, saying they chose Marathon County because of the infrastructure already in place.
"The gas flow there and the way its configured just allowed us to put together a project in partnership with the county that makes sense," he said.
Once its pumped into the pipeline, the natural gas will be sold for use as transportation or home fuel.
By no longer burning off the excess gas, it would also cut down on CO2 production.
That's something Crouse says will bring in money for both Viridi and the county.
"We're in the same boat together, so if the project does well, we do well."
Construction is set to begin in the later half of 2023, with plans to go live by 2024.
