Fort Worth could start making money off your trash as city looks to tap landfill gas

Published: Tue, 01/31/23

Crews work mounds of trash at Fort Worth’s Southeast Landfill. The city could possibly earn money from the landfill by selling the methane gas it creates. MAX FAULKNER mfaulkner@star-telegram.com

Fort Worth Star-Telegram
BY HARRISON MANTAS
JANUARY 30, 2023 4:40 PM

Fort Worth’s trash could soon become its treasure as the city explores the possibility of selling methane gas generated by its southeast landfill.

The City Council will vote Tuesday on whether to hire an outside law firm to advise on legal issues surrounding the extraction of landfill gas. If approved, the city will pay Houston-based firm Porter Hedges LLP $12,000 to help draw up a contract with landfill operator Republic Services and a yet-to-be-named third party company to extract, process and sell methane generated by the landfill.

It is essentially another type of gas well revenue, said Brandon Bennett, who oversees the city’s solid waste department.

Methane is generated when trash decomposes in the landfill. Normally the city captures and burns some of the methane through flaring, but this contract will allow the city to make rather than burn money.

The third-party company will be responsible for setting up, maintaining and operating the gas extraction process at no cost to Fort Worth taxpayers, Bennett said. It’s not clear how much money the city will earn tapping mining the landfill for methane, but Bennett said the revenues will still be rolling in after the landfill reaches the end of its life cycle in the next 15 years.

The city council will vote on a contract with Porter Hedges LLP at its Jan. 31 meeting.

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