Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
When our trash is hauled away each week, we usually don't give it a second thought.
But as it turns out, instead of rotting away in a landfill, our trash can be used to generate electricity.
According to the Associated Press, 20 megawatts of this kind of electricity will be generated from a landfill in Irvine, where ground broke Thursday. That's enough to power more than 14,000 homes.
Professor Jack Brouwer, associate director of the Advanced Power and Energy Program at UC Irvine, has more about the process of turning trash into electricity.