St. Landry Parish To Use Landfill Gas To Power Vehicles

Beginning next year, trucks operating at the St. Landry Parish landfill will be able to refuel with a natural energy source from the garbage mounds.

The $700,000 project involves cleaning and compressing on site the methane gas emitted from the solid waste and making the gas suitable for vehicle fuel.

Katry Martin, landfill executive director, said the parish's Solid Waste Commission on Monday unanimously agreed to accept a $224,000 grant from the state Department of Natural Resources as "seed money" for the project.

Martin told the commission the remainder of the costs could be recovered by obtaining $300,000 in state tax credits to the district for initiating a renewable-energy project. Also, a federal tax credit of $30,000 would help reduce the capital outlay costs to the district.