Disposal

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Central Disposal Site

Landfill gas power plant and biogas fuel station

Methane from buried garbage is collected and converted into 7.5 MW of electrical energy, enough to power a community of 17,000 people.

Download a .pdf fact sheet About Central Disposal Site (PDF: 38.6 KB)

From 1972 until 2005, Sonoma County’s solid waste was landfilled at the Central Disposal Site. Beginning in October 2005, garbage collected in Sonoma County has been hauled by truck 20-80 miles to several different landfills outside Sonoma County.

With nearly 24 million cubic yards of solid waste in place, the Central Disposal Site produces about 2,500 standard cubic feet/minute (scfm) of landfill gas. This gas is collected from 150 collection wells and transported through 4 miles of pipeline to the landfill gas-to-electricity facility and to the landfill gas-to-vehicle fuel pilot project.

The Landfill Gas Power Plant produces over 7 mega-watts (MW) of renewable electrical energy 24 hours/day, seven days/week, enough to power a community of 17,000 people.

6 MW of the electrical energy is used by the Sonoma County Water Agency to help transport potable water throughout Sonoma County. The remaining energy is either used by the County jail (0.4 MW) or sold on the renewable energy market.

In addition to the Power Plant, a BioGas Filtration Plant (also called the compressed natural gas [CNG] plant) was completed in February 2009. CNG produced at the Central Disposal Site is currently used to fuel select vehicles in the Sonoma County Transit bus fleet. The plant uses membrane filtration to convert landfill gas to vehicle fuel where contaminants are removed via activated carbon and silica gel. This unique project, initiated as a pilot in 2006, serves as a model.

Location of Landfill Gas Power Plant and BioGas Filtration Plant:

Central Disposal Site
500 Meacham Rd.
Petaluma, CA 94952

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Sonoma County Waste Management Agency ● 2300 County Center Drive, Suite B-100 ● Santa Rosa, CA 95403