We have a waste problem.

  • There are MORE than 2,600 municipal SOLID waste landfills in the United States.

  • Landfills are not just inert piles of garbage. WHEN FOOD, YARD AND PAPER WASTE DECOMPOSEs in an anaerobic environment, IT CREATES METHANE AND CARBON DIOXIDE.

  • Methane's impact on the climate is immediate and severe. Its 20-year global warming potential is about 80 times greater than CO2. Reducing methane is the most effective way to slow global warming in the near term.

  • The next 20 years are crucial for meeting global science-based targets, avoiding tipping points, and mitigating other harmful impacts already felt by vulnerable communities. 

  • In 2022, MSW landfills emitted a reported 287 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent of methane — the same climate impact as about 74 coal-fired power plants running for a year. In reality, the problem is much worse; uncovered EPA inspection reports and satellite data show that unchecked levels of methane are hiding in plain sight: odorless and invisible.

  • In 38 states, a municipal solid waste landfill is the number one largest industrial emitter of methane.

Source: Industrious Labs’ data analysis of EPA GHGRP 2022 data, and 20-year methane global warming potential (GWP) according to IPCC AR6.

  • To more effectively limit methane emissions from existing landfills, the EPA can update its New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and Emissions Guidelines (EG) for municipal solid waste landfills.

  • We can all do our part to reduce waste.

  • State and/or local government can:

    • Implement policies that catalyze waste prevention and promote food recovery,

    • Implement mandatory organics recycling programs that divert to composting to avoid new methane emissions from landfills,

    • Update their emissions regulations for municipal solid waste landfills to minimize methane leaks at existing landfills.