Renewable natural gas set to created at Boulder’s wastewater treatment plant will soon power the majority of Western Disposal garbage trucks serving Boulder and Broomfield counties.
A system already under construction at the city’s Water Resource Recovery Facility will convert biogas, a byproduct of one of the methods the facility uses to treat sewage, into renewable natural gas. The system is expected to be complete in July.
Usually biogas is burned for disposal, said Carolyn Elam, energy manager for the city’s Climate Initiatives department, with carbon dioxide, water vapor and other products emitted into the atmosphere.
“Instead, we will be taking the gas, cleaning it and selling it to Western,” Elam said in an email. “Thus, rather then simply burning it for disposal, the gas will be used to power trash trucks.”
Renewable natural gas will power 38 of Western’s 56 commercial vehicles and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by an equivalent of 265,000 gallons of diesel per year, according to the city. Western will be using all of the usable biogas from the treatment plant.
Mike Seader, vice president of operations at Western Disposal, said the agreement is another step forward in reducing the company’s carbon emissions.
“We’ve been serving Boulder and the surrounding communities for 50 years, and we are absolutely committed to being a key partner in helping the community meet their climate goals,” Seader said in a statement.
The city will sell the natural gas to Western for a rate that’s published in a monthly energy index, with a 5% discount, city spokesperson Samantha Galvin said. It equates to approximately $.75 per diesel gallon.
