The DeKalb County Landfill will be able to increase the amount of methane gas it burns if the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency approves its permit request.

The landfill currently burns 350 cubic feet of the gas per minute but seeks to increase its permit level to 550 cubic feet per minute.

The waste gas is channeled through the landfill and burned above the surface to prevent unpleasant odors, said Mike Wiersema, landfill operations director.

The permit will allow the landfill to increase its burnoff as the landfill takes in more waste and emits more of the gas, Wiersema said. The landfill currently disposes of 80,000 tons of solid waste.

The burning methane is visible from Interstate 88, and, while it is referred to as the “eternal flame,” output eventually will decrease, Wiersema said.

Decomposition of garbage does have a time frame, so it cannot produce gas forever, Wiersema said.

“A decomposing banana, for example, only has a decomposition time frame of one to two days. Time frames apply for all garbage, so to call the flame eternal is not exactly correct,” Wiersema said.

The permit review began at the end of January and should end by March 14 if all goes as scheduled, said Kim Kuntzman of the Illinois EPA Division of Air Pollution Control.

Emissions from landfills regulated by the EPA include methane, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, with methane as the most common and least harmful gas, Kuntzman said.