Renewable natural gas facilities turn organic waste into a fossil fuel alternative. Photo by John Fricker/Geograph UK
The production and use of renewable natural gas made from organic waste is growing rapidly in the United States. The number of production facilities in the country which convert landfill waste, animal manure, wastewater, food waste and other organic feedstocks into fuel that is interchangeable with fossil natural gas has grown from approximately 40 prior to 2014 to nearly 160 today.
Due to the potential benefits of renewable natural gas as an alternative to fossil fuels, a handful of states including California, Washington and Oregon have integrated it into climate goals. Both state and national assessments find that sufficient amounts of the waste-derived fuel could be produced to displace as much as 4-7% of current fossil gas consumption, while delivering other co-benefits related to waste management.