Lake County officials have approved a contract with a company that plans to build an $80 million plant that would turn trash into ethanol.

The Lake County Solid Waste Management District voted 14-4 on Thursday to approve a 20-year contract to provide trash to Powers Energy One of Indiana. The company's plan for gasification would use heat to combust municipal waste into gas.

The location of the plant has not yet been identified, prompting opposition to the contract from some of about 70 people who attended Thursday's meeting.

Company officials say they'll employ about 100 people at the plant, which would produce about 70 gallons of ethanol for every ton of garbage.