Clean Energy Spotlight: St. Landry Parish Landfill
Posted by Clean Fuels Intern on Sep. 11, 2026 / Bio Fuels, CNG, Clean Fuels Infrastructure, Natural Gas / Subscribe 0
Over the summer, the Louisiana Clean Fuels team toured the St. Landry Parish landfill. We toured the facility to see how they operate, visit, and take a look at their state-of-the-art bioCNG fueling program. The landfill takes trash and turns it into a clean fuel treasure. The biofuel serves the area’s municipal vehicles, including the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Department cars, the solid waste district’s vehicles, and light-duty vans and trucks. In one day, the landfill can produce 250 gallons of gas equivalent (GGE) of bioCNG. This fuel is less than half the cost of regular gasoline, saving the Parish money.
BioCNG is a way to take our waste and turn it into clean vehicle fuel. BioCNG is one of the cleanest fuels and produces the lowest greenhouse gas emissions compared to other gas types. The process of decomposition of biowaste under anaerobic (no oxygen exposure) conditions creates the fuel. Bacteria break down waste to produce landfill gas (LFG), which is then converted into CNG (compressed natural gas) by filtering out H2S, CO2, VOCs, and other trace gases. The leftover methane (CH4) is then cooled and stored to fuel vehicles.
St. Landry Parish has a population of around 85,000 residents, all served by the trash services and landfill. Just north of Lafayette, they are a parish of hardworking people, with most residents employed by private companies. Commuting time is a challenge for the community; however, the average commute time to work is around 30 minutes. That is a lot of time and money spent on the road. Could biofuel be the next big step for this community?
Our team learned a lot and developed a good, working relationship with the hardworking St. Landry team. Clean fuel promotion and use in Louisiana is on the rise. The landfill employs up to 50 people at a time, providing jobs and livelihoods in collaboration with clean fuel production. The landfill also provides community services beyond biofuel. They promote health and safety by providing tools such as emergency preparedness tips, health product disposal guides, and free compost for residents. We look forward to working with St. Landry Parish Landfill and are excited to see them continue their good work!
By: Emma Field, LCF Intern
For more information, here is their website: https://slpsolidwaste.org/
Here are some photos our team took of their state-of-the-art facility during the site visit:
0 Comments