Landfill Methane

Landfills are the third largest source of anthropogenic methane in the United States, contributing 17.7 percent of all U.S. methane emissions. The EPA regulates large municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills and manages the voluntary Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) to encourage the capture of landfill gas (LFG) for energy production. While projects in landfills with existing capture systems are generally profitable, those requiring new systems may face net losses unless they leverage tax credits, carbon credits, or on-site electricity use. LFG projects can produce electricity, heat, or vehicle fuels, providing both climate benefits and local employment.

• Landfills represent the third largest source of human-caused methane in the U.S., with landfill gas (LFG) accounting for 17.7 percent of total U.S. methane emissions. In 2011, this resulted in 103 million metric tonnes of carbon equivalent being released.
• 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.
• The EPA regulates LFG from very large municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills, requiring the capture and disposal of methane and non-methane organic compounds (NMOCs) via flaring or energy conversion to mitigate cancer risks and respiratory issues.
• The voluntary Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP), established in 1994, supported 605 operational energy projects across 48 states as of October 2012, producing 15 billion kWh of electricity and 100 billion cubic feet of LFG for direct use annually.
• California has implemented more stringent LFG regulations than federal law under the Global Warming Solutions Act (Assembly Bill 32), which since June 2010 has applied to MSW landfills with at least 450,000 tons of waste and a heat input capacity exceeding 3 million Btu/hour.
• The economic viability of LFG projects depends heavily on existing infrastructure. A privately owned 3 MW turbine project with a pre-existing capture system is estimated to provide a net return of $590,000 over 15 years, whereas a similar project without a capture system could lose approximately $3.5 million over the same period.
• LFG projects can access federal financial incentives, including the Renewable Electricity Production Tax Credit (PTC) of 1.1 cents/kWh for projects starting by the end of 2013, or the Business Energy Investment Tax Credit (ITC) of up to 30 percent of project costs.
• LFG energy projects contribute to local job creation; a typical 3 MW electricity project is estimated to create five direct construction jobs and 20 to 26 indirect jobs.

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} }