Landfill Methane

This EESI fact sheet examines the role of landfills as a major source of anthropogenic methane in the United States and discusses strategies for mitigating these emissions. It highlights the EPA's regulatory role and the Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP), which helps convert landfill gas (LFG) into energy. The document provides economic comparisons between electricity-generation and direct-use LFG projects, noting that while existing capture systems make projects more profitable, new installations may require additional revenue streams like tax credits to be viable.

• Landfills are the third largest source of anthropogenic methane in the United States, with landfill gas (LFG) representing 17.7 percent of all U.S. methane emissions. In 2011, landfill methane released 103 million metric tonnes of carbon equivalent into the atmosphere.
• Methane is a short-lived climate pollutant that is significantly more potent than carbon dioxide; over a 20-year period, one ton of methane causes 72 times more warming than one ton of CO2.
• Landfill gas consists of approximately 50 percent methane and 50 percent CO2, along with non-methane organic compounds (NMOCs) like ammonia and sulfides. These NMOCs are hazardous air pollutants that can cause respiratory issues, increase cancer risk, and create unpleasant odors.
• The EPA regulates LFG from very large municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills under the Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Specifically, the 1996 Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources (NSPS) apply to MSW landfills that contain more than 2.5 million metric tons or 2.5 million cubic meters of waste and have accepted waste since 1987.
• California has implemented more stringent LFG regulations than federal law via the Global Warming Solutions Act (Assembly Bill 32). Since June 2010, these regulations apply to MSW landfills with at least 450,000 tons of waste and an LFG heat input capacity exceeding 3 million British thermal units/hour (MMBtu/hr).
• The EPA's voluntary Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP), created in 1994, assists landfill operators in developing LFG projects. As of October 2012, there were 605 operational energy projects across 48 states, producing approximately 15 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity and 100 billion cubic feet of LFG for direct use annually.
• The economic viability of LFG energy projects depends heavily on whether a capture system is already installed. For a privately owned 3 MW turbine project with an existing capture system, the EPA estimates a net return of approximately $590,000 over 15 years. However, a similar project without a pre-existing capture system is estimated to lose approximately $3.5 million over the same period.
• Direct-use LFG projects generally have lower costs and higher internal rates of return than electricity projects. For example, a direct-use project with no existing capture system is estimated to have a positive net value of $480,000, compared to the net loss of an electricity project in the same scenario.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2013). Landfill Methane. https://www.eesi.org/files/042613_Landfill_Methane_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Landfill Methane. 2013. https://www.eesi.org/files/042613_Landfill_Methane_Fact_Sheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Landfill Methane |date=May 2013 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/042613_Landfill_Methane_Fact_Sheet.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2013landfill, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Landfill Methane}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2013}, month = may, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/042613_Landfill_Methane_Fact_Sheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }