Reconsidering Municipal Solid Waste as a Renewable Energy Feedstock

The briefing argues that municipal solid waste (MSW) is an underutilized renewable energy resource that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and landfill reliance. It details five primary conversion technologies—landfill gas capture, combustion, pyrolysis, gasification, and plasma arc gasification—noting that while landfill gas is widely accepted, others face technical or regulatory hurdles. The text highlights that modern waste-to-energy facilities have significantly reduced toxic emissions and can complement recycling by recovering metals. However, it notes that MSW-to-energy receives substantially lower federal subsidies than other energy sources, which hinders commercial expansion.

• Diverting the 254.1 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in 2007 to electricity production could have replaced between 3 and 6 percent of the electricity used in the U.S. that year. Alternatively, converting all landfill waste to ethanol could produce up to 21 billion gallons of renewable fuel annually.
• Five main technologies for MSW energy recovery exist with varying efficiencies and landfill diversion rates: landfill gas capture (41-84 kWh/ton), combustion (470-930 kWh/ton), pyrolysis (450-530 kWh/ton), gasification (400-650 kWh/ton), and plasma arc gasification (400-1,250 kWh/ton). Plasma arc gasification and gasification offer the highest landfill diversion rates, ranging from 94% to 100%.
• Modern waste-to-energy facilities have significantly reduced pollutants due to Clean Air Act regulations from 1995 and 2000, cutting dioxin emissions by over 99 percent and mercury emissions by over 90 percent compared to 1990 levels.
• MSW combustion provides a net negative carbon footprint of 3,636 lbs of CO2-equivalent per MWh of electricity generated, which is roughly 1 ton of carbon equivalent for every ton of MSW combusted, by offsetting fossil fuels and eliminating landfill methane.
• Waste-to-energy does not necessarily impede recycling; a study showed communities using these technologies had average recycling rates of 33.3 percent, which is about 1 percent higher than the national average. Furthermore, over 80 percent of existing facilities recover ferrous and non-ferrous metals from the waste stream.
• Waste-to-energy receives the lowest federal electricity subsidy per unit of energy among all major sources, at $0.13/mWh, compared to coal ($0.44/mWh), biomass ($0.89/mWh), and solar ($24.34/mWh).
• While landfill gas capture is widely implemented across 485 landfills, waste combustion has seen no new facility construction since 1996. Advanced technologies like gasification and plasma arc remain largely at the demonstration stage, such as a facility in Utashinai, Japan, and a planned project by Fulcrum BioEnergy in Storey County, Nevada.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2009). Reconsidering Municipal Solid Waste as a Renewable Energy Feedstock. https://www.eesi.org/files/eesi_msw_issuebrief_072109.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Reconsidering Municipal Solid Waste as a Renewable Energy Feedstock. 2009. https://www.eesi.org/files/eesi_msw_issuebrief_072109.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Reconsidering Municipal Solid Waste as a Renewable Energy Feedstock |date=July 2009 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/eesi_msw_issuebrief_072109.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2009reconsidering, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Reconsidering Municipal Solid Waste as a Renewable Energy Feedstock}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2009}, month = jul, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/eesi_msw_issuebrief_072109.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }