Six months after breaking ground on the $9 million facility, DeKalb County last week began operating a renewable energy facility at its Seminole Road Landfil.

The facility makes DeKalb the first county in the country to convert landfill gas into compressed natural gas for fuel. The center is expected to save DeKalb up to $3 million in fuel costs over the next eight years by reducing the need for diesel and gasoline.

DeKalb plans to convert 70 trash trucks in the next year to run on the compressed natural gas produced in the facility. It hopes to convert the entire 306-vehicle fleet in sanitation in the next eight years.

The county used federal stimulus dollars to help build the facility and is using Clean Cities Atlanta money for the vehicle conversion.

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Donald Trump's administration deployed the military to Washington, D.C., in the name of fighting crime, and in an Aug. 11 news conference he mentioned the possibility of military being sent to other large American cities, all of which are led by Black, Democratic mayors. And while Atlanta wasn't included in Trump's list, the city fits that profile under Mayor Andre Dickens. (Photo Illustration: Philip Robibero / AJC | Source: Getty)

Credit: Philip Robibero