Systems library

Colonie Solid Waste Landfill

A circular system archetype diagram for a landfill-centered context. This is where “waste management” can evolve into “resource management” via organics diversion, energy recovery, and soil-building co-products.

Back to Systems library Propose a pilot site Policy & funding

Archetype Landfill Organics diversion

How this site was selected: Mapping layers pair feedstocks with infrastructure, the matrix approach (industrial/hauling, feedstock variation, pyrolysis, space/expansion) distills the strongest candidates, and the 25-50 mile coverage logic keeps proposals balanced. Read the methodology.

System diagram

Tip: open this in a new tab to zoom, then use it in meetings as a shared reference.

Note: Landfill sites tend to involve a “stack” of parallel opportunities: RNG / LFG capture upgrades, organics diversion, leachate management, and adjacent processing (composting, digestion, biochar). The right path depends on current permits and operator incentives.

Implementation notes

These prompts help a landfill archetype become a pilot: ownership, regulatory reality, feedstocks, and offtake.

Questions to answer

What is the current landfill gas (LFG) utilization pathway (flare, electricity, RNG, pipeline, etc.)?
Which organics streams can be diverted and pre-processed (food, yard, FOG) to reduce contamination?
Are there permitted areas or adjacent parcels suitable for organics processing infrastructure?
What is the priority outcome: emissions reduction, cost reduction, energy revenue, soil products, EJ benefits?

Best next step

If you’re near a landfill site and can identify an operator or municipal point person, submit a proposal via Propose a pilot site. HVB will recommend a minimum viable coalition and grant-fit pathway.

Propose this archetype Resources hub

Want the broader context? Download the core HVB reports in the Resources hub.

Site imagery

Reference photos from the Circular Biogas Systems proposal appendix for this location.

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Biosolids flow snapshot

This 2015 snapshot shows how landfilled biosolids move through the Hudson Valley system, connecting tipping, hauling, and final disposal.

HVB does not support co-digestion of sewage sludge with food waste; treat this as routing context and a guardrails trigger.

Read Landfilled biosolids brief Open image

Evidence & policy context

Data & maps hub — ground each archetype in the baseline data, flows, and county briefs before pitching it.
Policy & funding hub — choose the right story (CLCPA, diversion, EJ) for this system.
CLCPA brief — tie the archetype into the state’s climate accountability framework.
Food waste law brief — highlight the diversion/compliance rationale when organics are on the route.

Why RNG viability matters

Capturing RNG at this landfill links methane reduction to waste diversion while nudging the interconnection upgrades (utility pipelines or RNG offtake) that prove this project can deliver clean gas at scale.