Press Release

Waste Management's El Sobrante Landfill Invests $500,000 to Protect Environment

Riverside County, CA, September 18, 2007 - El Sobrante Landfill recently invested nearly $500,000 to expand its landfill gas collection system. Twenty-one gas collection wells were added to an already existing system of 160 gas collection wells that are located throughout the landfill.

The additional gas collection wells will improve the extraction of methane gas, which is produced by the natural decomposition of waste. The high-quality methane is sent to a gas-to-energy facility that converts it into nearly four megawatts of electricity while the lower quality gas is sent to El Sobrante’s state-of-the-art ultra-low emissions gas flare.

“Operating the El Sobrante Landfill in an environmentally safe manner is of utmost importance to us at Waste Management; any improvements we make to be better stewards of the environment are a top priority for us,” said Damon De Frates, Senior District Manager for El Sobrante Landfill. “We also have a commitment to our neighbors and the Temescal Valley community to help keep the air in the community clean by continuously improving our operations.”

Improving the collection of methane gas in the landfill will ensure that El Sobrante continues its important contribution to California’s renewable energy demand. The great demand for energy as a result of the hot weather over the last couple of weeks, confirmed the benefits of Waste Management’s commitment to produce renewable energy for the local community.

“Collecting methane and converting it into energy is the environmentally responsible approach and it’s an all around win-win partnership with the community,” De Frates said.

Since 2003, El Sobrante’s gas to energy facility runs three internal combustion engines that generate approximately 3.84 megawatts of electricity, which is then fed directly into the local Southern California Edison grid where it is used to meet the power demands of approximately 6,000 local homes a year.

Waste Management’s El Sobrante Landfill is located in the unincorporated area of Riverside County. The landfill serves more than one million Inland Empire residents and is a critical component of Riverside County and the greater Los Angeles region’s infrastructure. The site has more than XXX acres in permanent preservation and is a critical component of preserving open space in Riverside County. For more information on the landfill, please go to www.keepinginlandempireclean.com.

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