SUNYA Energy

Reactivate and WM Collaborate Nationwide to Convert Up to 50+ Landfills into Solar Energy Sites

January 7, 2026
SUNYA SUMMARY
- Reactivate and WM announced a plan to convert over 50 former landfills into solar energy projects, including community solar and storage. - The projects aim to increase energy access, support grid resilience, and generate community economic benefits. - Reactivate will develop, build, own and operate these solar and storage sites, focusing on safe, responsible operations. - The initiative will create workforce training programs, boost local contracting opportunities, and increase tax revenue for communities. - WM emphasizes its commitment to strengthening local communities through renewable energy and infrastructure projects. - Reactivate CEO highlights transforming vacant landfills into valuable energy resources to meet growing energy demands. - The first phase of projects is expected to reach commercial operation by late 2027. - Reactivate, an Invenergy company, focuses on renewable solutions like solar, energy storage, and EV charging to deliver social, environmental, and economic benefits.
PRESS RELEASE
Reactivate and WM Collaborate Nationwide to Convert Up to 50+ Landfills into Solar Energy Sites:

CHICAGO, Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Reactivate, an Invenergy company, and WM, North America's leading provider of comprehensive environmental solutions, today announced an agreement with plans to transform up to 50+ former landfill sites into community solar, small utility scale solar and storage projects.

Reactivate plans to deploy these solutions on WM sites to support grid resiliency and generate meaningful economic benefits in the communities where these projects are developed. Projects will be developed, constructed, owned and operated by Reactivate.

"WM is committed to strengthening the communities where we live and work," said Tara Hemmer, chief sustainability officer. "We are proud to work with Reactivate, a company WM selected for this project, to help revolutionize these landfill sites to provide needed solar energy."

Projects aim to:

  • Expand access to energy saving opportunities for households, nonprofits and local businesses
  • Create workforce training and skills building programs
  • Increase local contracting, enabling contractors and equipment suppliers to participate in new economic opportunities
  • Generate local tax revenue, benefiting essential community services and improvements

"Repurposing sites that would otherwise be vacant former landfills and cannot support traditional development helps us meet America's growing energy demand," said Utopia Hill, CEO of Reactivate.

"As we advance this portfolio, Reactivate remains deeply committed to safe, responsible operations that prioritize community wellbeing and expects the first phase of projects to reach commercial completion by late 2027," said Myles Burnsed, VP of Development at Reactivate.

About Reactivate

Reactivate, an Invenergy company, is a mission-driven organization that develops, owns, and operates renewable energy solutions that are designed to improve quality of life for communities, with a focus on meaningful benefits for working-class people across the country. Focus areas include community solar, commercial & industrial solar, small utility-scale solar, energy storage and EV charging projects.

By delivering economic development and energy resiliency with renewable energy solutions, Reactivate provides energy cost savings, job opportunities, workforce training and opportunities for businesses, while creating positive social and environmental impact. Reactivate was founded by Invenergy and Lafayette Square.

SOURCE Reactivate