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George Fitch, the Mayor of Warrenton, has a plan to turn a liability into an asset by converting garbage at the landfill into enough electricity to power 8,500 houses-the equivalent of the town of Warrenton, plus some. Right now, the landfill is (there's no nice way to say this) a stinking pile of trash that costs money to maintain, poses a risk of toxic leaching into groundwater and emits methane, a greenhouse gas twenty times more potent than carbon dioxide. But, according to Fitch's plan, we could be turning this trash into clean energy with no fossil fuel input and very little emissions, while saving taxpayers money.

Here's how it works. At a waste-to-energy plant beside the landfill, the trash (and other possible fuels from crop stubble to sewage sludge) are gasified at high temperatures. The heat to gasify the fuels is generated by methane captured at the landfill. The resulting gas, along with steam, turns turbines at an electric generator which can then power local homes and businesses-a more efficient system than transporting energy long distances. Meanwhile, a catalyst could also be added to turn some of the gas into biofuels. The plant's closed loop system traps particulate matter, and unused substances can be converted into construction materials. This advanced system is far cleaner and more efficient than older waste-to-energy methods. Compared to the current, fossil fuel based system, it could cut the community's greenhouse gas footprint by 20% in just a few years.

Mayor Fitch emphasizes, "There is no risk or cost to the local government." Several companies have expressed interest in financing, building, operating and maintaining the plant, as part of a public-private partnership. In turn, Fauquier County would provide space at the landfill, all the incoming trash that can't be recycled and a share of the tipping fees. In the end, taxpayers are spared millions of dollars in landfill maintenance costs and the local government profits from the sale of carbon credits. "It's better for the environment and better for the budget," Fitch says.