Methane from landfill

Maybe not the solution to our energy problems, but it helps.

That’s exactly what a new electrical generating facility at Pine Tree Landfill does. It captures methane gas from the decomposing trash.

“Just like a compost pile in your backyard, that waste decomposes,” Meagher said. “The landfill it’s decomposing without oxygen so a product of that is methane.”

Currently, most of the methane from the landfill is being burned off. But the new generator will put the gases to work, creating renewable energy.

“The methane is very much like natural gas in terms of a fuel,” Meagher told NEWS CENTER. “It goes to the engine, the engine runs, it turns a generator, and that generator produces electricity. And then it goes out onto the grid and into homes and businesses.”

- WLBZ2

Thermostat Recycling Program

Under a new state law, thermostats containing mercury can be returned to the manufacturer via local wholesalers for recycling. Old thermostats are apparently a significant source of mercury in the waste stream. More information is here (apparently you can take your old thermostat to a dealer).

Maine homeowners can now receive a $5 payment by recycling any old mercury thermostat, which cannot legally be disposed in household trash.

Under a program initiated under a new Maine law, thermostat manufacturers will provide pre-paid UPS mailing labels to any homeowner who requests them. The mailing labels allow consumers to ship thermostats to be recycled. In return, the manufacturer provides a payment of $5 for each thermostat received.

- PressHerald

Cell Phone Recycling Now Law

 While not exactly a huge burden on landfills, cell phones do have toxic chemicals.  Maine now requires you to recycle them, and for stores to take them.

Mainers who have been tossing their old cell phones in the trash or slipping them into desk drawers to be forgotten will have an alternative as of the new year: A state law will require retailers to collect used cellular telephones for recycling at no charge.

The same law forbids owners from disposing of old phones in the trash.

The law is aimed at protecting the environment and public health. Cell phones contain toxic chemicals such as arsenic, lead, zinc and other substances that pose health risks if not properly disposed of or recycled.

Maine is the third state, after California and New York, to enact such a law, said its sponsor, Rep. Christopher Babbidge, D- Kennebunk. In Maine, retailers must even accept used phones that have been sold by other companies, he said. – A.P.