Methane Pumps 1 Photograph - Limited Edition of 10

The image is of gas pumps removing methane from the ground of an old landfill site. As winter subsides and the temperature rises the site bursts in to life, which is a stark contrast to the active landfill on an adjacent site. I was motivated to document the site as the geography is exceptionally low lying, and weather systems converge over head, to create what can be very dramatic and beautiful scenes that are in stark contrast to the reality of the land below. The site itself sits outside Newark in the East Midlands, and forms part of a wider site of contaminated fields. The gas itself is captured by using a series of interconnected pumps, that draw the gas from the decomposing waste in the ground via numerous perforated tubes that are fed in to the ground. The pumps work together to pipe the gas in to one area where it is then flared (burnt), or in some cases stored, compressed and used to power vehicles or generators and in some cases it can be mixed with the natural gas supply.