Winner: 2009 TEEA Winner: LARGE BUSINESS/TECHNICAL
As a leading snack food and pet products manufacturer, Mars serves billions of customers worldwide. To help meet that demand, its Waco, Texas, plant–Mars Snackfood– produces several hundred tons of Snickers, Starburst, and Skittles every day. Now, thanks to an innovative production process, the company’s found a way to use a by-product from the local landfill. The company saves money by lowering fuel costs and resources by replacing a portion of their natural gas use with what’s known as landfill gas.
Landfill gas (LFG) occurs naturally and is comprised primarily of methane and carbon dioxide. Two years ago, Mars decided to invest in new boiler controls and instrumentation that would enable it to burn the by-product. With the completion of a 5-mile long pipeline from the landfill to the plant, the experiment’s been a resounding success. Currently, LFG supplies nearly 50 percent of the plant’s boiler fuel needs, which cut natural gas costs by more than $600,000 last year alone. Mars estimates the annual reductions in natural gas usage to be more than 180,000 MMBTU.
This creative program finds a use for a naturally occurring fuel source while simultaneously cutting emissions. Just as important, the cost savings help the plant stay competitive in a challenging global marketplace. It’s the perfect example of a public-private venture that benefits the entire community.