HVRC's Landfill Biofilters Project
Landfill Project Summary
HVRC has formed a consortium of Mid-Hudson municipalities with (small) closed landfills. The goal of the HVRC led project will be to accurately measure the emissions coming from these closed landfills, mitigate those emissions through biofilters, and do feasibility studies for landfill solar.
- Landfill evaluation and testing to estimate emissions volume and locate methane vents to determine potential for greenhouse gas reductions. This step is required to determine biofilter placement.
- Design and implementation of a biofilter solution including methanotrophs, a unique type of bacteria capable of converting landfill methane to less harmful gases. This solution is proven and cost-effective method of significantly lowering GHG emissions from landfills.
- Pricing and design of landfill solar solution aimed at repurposing the site for renewable energy generation and economic benefits, with options for ownership or leasing arrangement. Battery storage and native pollinator plantings may be included in some landfill solutions. (Note - battery storage and native pollinator plantings may be included in the landfill solution.)
Participating Municipalities
- City of Beacon (Dutchess County)
- Dutchess County (landfill located in Town of Wappingers, Dutchess County)
- Town of Amenia (Dutchess County)
- Town of Bethel (Sullivan County)
- Town of Cornwall (Orange County)
- Town of Gardiner (Ulster County)
- Town of Hurley (Ulster County)
- Town of New Paltz (Ulster County)
- Town of North East (Dutchess County)
- Town of Philipstown (Putnam County)
- Town of Rhinebeck (Dutchess County)
- Town of Wallkill (Orange County)
- Town of Woodstock (Ulster County)
- Village of Mamaroneck (Westchester County)
Background Information
The project is being funded by the Federal EPA's Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Implementation Program: $5 billion in grants to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop and implement plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution. Authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), this two-phase program provides $250 million for noncompetitive planning grants, and approximately $4.6 billion for competitive implementation grants.
- HVRC's Selected Application Information
- Other CPRG Program Selected Applications
- Press Release: EPA Highlights $3 Million for Community-Driven Solutions to Cut Climate Pollution Across the Hudson Valley in New York, September 13, 2024
- EPA awards nonprofit $3 million to reduce methane emissions from Hudson Valley landfills, Times Union, September 16, 2024
Additional Resources
- EPA: Apply Biofilters or Biocovers
- "Mitigation of Methane, NMVOCs and Odor Emissions in Active and Passive Biofiltration Systems at Municipal Solid Waste Landfills", by I Pecorini, E Rossi, & R Iannelli, MDPI, 2020
- "Mitigation of Methane and Trace Gas Emissions trough Large-Scale Active Biofilter System at Glatved landfill, Denmark", by Z Duan, P O'Connor, R Hansen, C Scheutz, & P Kjeldsen, Elsevier, 2020
- "Technologies and Management Options for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Landfills", CSC Engineers Report to the California Integrated Waste Managment Board, 2008
For more information, please email mlambert@hudsonvalleyrc.org