BMW will use recycled methane to power its paint shop department at the Spartanburg, SC assembly plant. This will be the first automotive paint shop to use methane gas recycled from a garbage landfill.

The gas will be sourced from a landfill 9.5 miles away and will be transported through a pipeline. Durr Systems is in the process of converting and upgrading the assembly plant’s equipment that will handle the methane gas. Half of the plant’s energy will be provided by methane gas piped from the landfill. Landfills are a major source of methane, a greenhouse gas that comes from decomposing waste material. What would otherwise be released into the air as pollutant is now put into good use.

Using recycled methane gas as fuel will allow BMW to save at least $1 million per year. The paint shop department gobbles up a large share of the energy in any auto manufacturer’s plant. Not only will the automaker save up on cost, it will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 17,000 tons and save up energy that can power 10,000 homes per year.