In June 2008 the Ministry of Environment amended Regulation 347 making it mandatory for landfills with a capacity of over 1.5 million cubic metres to capture landfill gas.  Methane produced at landfill sites is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 21x that of carbon dioxide.  Flaring methane gas reduces its global warming potential by 95%.

Methane gas is an odourless, colourless landfill gas that is produced by the anaerobic (absence of oxygen) decomposition of organic waste.  Flaring landfill gas not only converts methane to carbon dioxide, but also destroys most of its harmful components which can cause nuisance odours, stress on vegetation, smog, and a risk of fire, explosion and asphyxiation.

Check back here for further updates once construction commences in 2010.