No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveLandfill Employs “Environmental Technology”

Landfill Employs “Environmental Technology”

EBI BERTHIER, a Canadian companythat manages the only landfill for theSan José area, is endeavoring to produceelectricity using methane gas fromthe garbage deposited there.The San José EnvironmentalTechnology Park is located in La Carpio,west of the capital, and has been in operationsince 2001.General manager Juan CarlosObando said the landfill was fitted earlyon with various “chimneys” that harvestmethane gas produced as the thousandsof tons of solid waste there decompose.The gas, which many scientistsbelieve contributes to the problem ofglobal warming, will be burned to powergenerators.Obando said it normally takes sevenyears for a landfill to produce enoughmethane to power generators. But hebelieves San José’s landfill, whichreceives some 700 tons of garbage aday, will be able to do so starting in Juneof next year – three years ahead ofschedule. Obando said the generatorswould initially provide just enough electricityto operate the landfill, making itself-sufficient.However, the company eventuallyhopes to sell electricity to the CostaRican Electricity Institute (ICE), he said.Obando said the gas is already beingburned to help alleviate its normally pungentodor.Aside from the plan to generate electricity,there are other reasons the landfillis called an “environmental technologypark.”Onsite director Oscar Guzmán saidthe landfill is fitted with a three-layer filtrationsystem, with a geomembrane atthe base that retains 100% of the liquidsbrought in with the garbage. Those liquidsare filtered first through an aerationbed and then a sedimentation bed beforethe water is piped back to the landfill tohelp plants and grass grow.Guzmán said the garbage is treatedwith a special cocktail of bacteria andmicroorganisms, of Japanese design,that all but eliminate the problems of flies,cockroaches and odor. He said afterdepositing garbage at the landfill, alltrucks are washed and sprayed downwith the cocktail before leaving.Representatives of the non-governmentalCentral American Water Tribunaltold The Tico Times that EBI’s landfill iscausing irreversible damage to the drinkingwater supply of the residents of LaCarpio (TT, June 4).

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Taiwan Ties Stir “One China” Policy Tensions

Costa Rica is caught in a diplomatic tug-of-war with China after sending officials to Taiwan for training. The government confirmed that five members of...

Costa Rica’s $35M Mega-Prison Bid Targets Overcrowding Crisis

Costa Rica is taking a bold step to fix its overcrowded prisons with a new high-security facility. The Ministry of Justice and Peace has...

Costa Rica’s President Chaves Accused of Illicit Campaign Financing

On Monday, Costa Rica’s Prosecutor’s Office formally accused President Rodrigo Chaves along with six high-ranking officials and pro-government legislators of allegedly engaging in illicit...

El Salvador Extradites Lev Tahor Members to Israel, Guatemala Over Child Abuse Charges

El Salvador has extradited two members of the Lev Tahor sect—an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group under investigation for alleged child sexual abuse—to Israel and Guatemala,...

Mexican Influencer “El Arturito” Falls for Costa Rican Cuisine at Silvestre

Arturo Lemmen, a Mexican food critic known as “El Arturito” to his social media fans, used to think Costa Rican cuisine was nothing to...

Costa Rica’s Top Court Bans President Chaves from 2026 Election Campaign

Costa Rica’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal on Thursday barred President Rodrigo Chaves from participating in the 2026 election campaign, ruling that he "illegitimately used" his...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica