While necessary for waste disposal, landfills should be a last alternative. Leachate, the liquid produced by landfills frequently finds its way to aquifers, creating dead zones and introducing chemical toxins and carcinogens to water sources. Decomposition of organic mass in landfills releases methane, the most potent gas in the atmosphere in trapping heat from the sun, with landfill sites contributing over 20% of the human-sourced methane globally. In the U.S., over 3000 active landfills now occupy over 1800,000 acres and the number is growing. NLC Energy’s anaerobic digestion process takes organic matter out of the waste stream before it goes to landfills, significantly reducing their toxic emissions, instead returning to the land material that is rich in nutrients and conducive to new productivity.