Good News: Landfill Uses Gas From Waste to Grow Fruits and Vegetables in ‘World-First’ Green Food Dome | Good News Today

Why this story matters: While it may not dominate headlines, this story reflects meaningful change in action.

Quick summary: This story highlights recent developments related to landfills, showing how constructive action can lead to meaningful results.

A landfill 90 miles outside London is using methane from its waste to generate electricity and grow sustainable produce—even during the cold English winters.

With the new approach to food production, landfill sites can become low-emission, affordable fruit and vegetable hubs with perfect year-round growing conditions.

The huge dome in Wiltshire, England, serves as the greenhouse—while all the power to run the heating, ultraviolet lights, and fans is generated from the waste on site.

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The size of three tennis courts (8,450 sq-ft), the 30-ft-tall dome is capable of harvesting 10 tons of produce every year.

Crapper and Sons Landfill Ltd, a family run business, launched the Community Interest Company called Sustain Wiltshire, which uses its revenue for the public good.

In what they call a “world first”, their landfill-powered dome uses a system of hydroponics and raised planters that could even grow avocados, which are found in the UK only if imported.

They believe their locally-grown vegetables will cost less than those in supermarkets—and the company plans to collect the veggie waste to make the process even more sustainable.

Instead of requiring costly warehousing and distribution centers for fresh produce around the UK, the food will be sold via an app, delivered to families’ doors, and then their food waste would be collected and brought back to the site to be used in the process again, creating additional electricity.

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How they make the green energy

Sustain Wiltshire’s system collects the landfill gas—composed of methane, carbon dioxide (CO2), and hydrogen sulfide—through a series of wells placed within the landfill. The gases from decomposing waste are then piped to a central location where it is cleaned by removing the hydrogen sulfide.

The collected methane-rich biogas is used to fuel a combined heat-and-power gas engine to power the inflatable growing domes—kept at a perfect growing temperature.

Carbon dioxide will also be collected from the engine exhausts, where it will be cleaned and stored for use in the growing domes. “The process of photosynthesis will turn the carbon dioxide into oxygen,” reported the company.

If this prototype dome is successful, there are plans to install a further 100 domes on the Crapper and Sons landfill site, which could then supply up to 80% of all fruit and vegetable needs for the three local towns of Royal Wootton Basset, Purton, and Brinkworth, over the next ten years.

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“It has the potential to change the face of food production as we know it,” said Nick Ash, Project Director for Sustain Wiltshire.

“On this one site alone, we have the potential to produce over 8,000 tons of affordable fruit and vegetables annually, creating 130 new jobs, while preventing the release of 3,800 tons of CO2 each year.”

“Combined with plans to capture polymers from landfill plastic that cannot yet be recycled, we believe our solution has the potential to transform the future of landfills internationally, turning it into one of the most climate friendly methods of waste treatment.”

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