Chesco landfill to lower emissions with renewable natural gas

From Trash to Treasure: Philadelphia Landfill’s Green Methane Revolution

PHILADELPHIA — Since 2007, a system at the Southeastern Pennsylvania freedom landfill has been turning trash into power, generating enough electricity to light up 1,400 homes. However, as the system ages and continues to rely on combusting electricity in engines, it also contributes to emissions.

Enter Waga Energy, a French company with a revolutionary approach to landfill gas management. Their technology bypasses combustion, instead vacuuming up methane from decaying waste, purifying it, and directing it into pipelines for distribution as a renewable resource.

Partnering with local waste management authority SECCRA, Waga Energy aims to redirect this methane to heat homes rather than power lines. The project, set for completion in 2026, will see the gas piped into PECO’s existing network, potentially heating up to 4,400 homes—three times the current project’s output. This shift is projected to annually eliminate around 15,000 tons of CO2, a significant contribution to the region’s decarbonization efforts.

"This is about turning pollution into energy, making something valuable from what was once a waste," says Guénaël Prince, U.S. CEO of Waga Energy. "Renewable energy should be affordable, and that’s what we’re providing here."

Spread over several years, the project has received backing from federal tax incentives designed to reduce carbon footprints. Yet, with the political landscape shifting, its future remains uncertain. As President Trump pushes for increased fossil fuel reliance, renewable energy enthusiasts watch and wait, hoping policy changes won’t impact initiatives like this one.