increasing landfill space is also an issue. st. lucie county is planning to experiment with burning trash through plasma arc gasification to generate energy and reduce landfill space. the experiment will be the largest of its kind in the world to date, and begin operation no later than 2009. if successful, experts estimate that the entire st. lucie county landfill, estimated to contain 4.3 million tons of trash, will disappear within 18 years. materials created in the energy production can also be used in road construction.