Improving waste management and air qualitySanta Marta landfill is an existing and operational landfill site. It is located 17 km south of Chile's capital Santiago and started its operation in 2002. The site is suitable for municipal solid waste management and it is one of the most important landfills in the region, serving a population of around 1,200,000 inhabitants in the southern communes of Santiago. The total surface of the landfill is 296 hectares and it receives about 130,000 tonnes of domiciliary solid waste per month.The project activity saves carbon emissions by capturing the landfill gas and utilizing it for electricity generation, reaching a total installed capacity of 28MW by the year 2023. The project includes electrical substations and a transmission line of 3.2 km to connect to the Chilean Interconnected Central System.The main social and environmental impacts of the project will be renewable energy generation, reduction greenhouse gases and generation of a positive effects on health in the area. Furthermore, it contributes to employment creation and environmental education.How does gas recovery help fight global warming?Normally the gas escaping from landfills is released unhindered into the atmosphere. Gas that escapes during oil production is flared. Both processes release greenhouse gas emissions, especially methane and carbon dioxide, which contribute to accelerating global warming. Methane is also emitted during the treatment of municipal wastewater through the anaerobic decomposition of organic material. Carbon offset projects prevent these emissions by capturing gas from landfills or wastewater plants and using it to generate electricity, or by processing the gas from oil production into dry or liquid gas. This way, the gas does not enter the atmosphere, but becomes a source of energy.