May 15, 2008 - Mars Snackfood has flipped the switch on its first landfill gas project, which will recover methane gas from a Waco, Texas, landfill and convert it to steam energy for the company's nearby candymaking operation.

The project is being undertaken as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Landfill Methane Outreach Program, a voluntary partnership program aimed at encouraging the recovery and use of landfill gas as a renewable energy source.

EPA estimates the Waco project will save Mars about $600,000 a year in energy costs and cut methane emissions equivalent to more than 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. (Methane is 20 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.)

Mars is the latest company to invest in renewable energy projects that will supply power for manufacturing operations. Last month, rival snackmaker SunChips installed a five-acre solar field to power its plant in Modesto, Calif. Papermaker Smart Papers recently announced plans for a $30 million cogeneration facility at its manufacturing center in Ohio.