Landfill electricity 'will heat homes in 2009'

It has been announced that energy generated by landfill sites will go towards heating homes at the end of the year.

Residents of Fermanagh in Northern Ireland will benefit from the developments in late 2009, as council representatives announced that 300 kilowatts of power will be generated for the space of eight to ten years, reported the Fermanagh Herald.

Director of technical services Gerry Knox stated: "The gas is collected, it powers an engine and the engine generates the electricity and the power is fed into the national grid."

He added that as of April 1st, councils will be charged £40 tax for every tonne of waste they send to landfill sites.

Towards the end of 2008, the Waste and Resources Action Programme encouraged people to use alternative materials, such as cloth, to wrap Christmas presents due to increased levels of paper making its way to landfill sites over the festive period.