From Waste to Wins: How Orange County’s Smart Landfills Are Slashing Methane

Orange County Waste & Recycling (OCWR) is implementing a two-part strategy to reduce methane emissions: diverting organic waste into compost and utilizing the Smart Landfill Program (SLP). The SLP employs real-time data, drones, and robotic dogs to identify leaks and optimize gas collection, potentially reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 15%. Additionally, OCWR is exploring the conversion of excess landfill gas into biomethane and the installation of solar energy on closed landfills to support California's clean energy goals.

• OCWR has established composting facilities to divert organic waste and prevent future methane generation, processing between 1,000 and 2,000 tons of resident waste daily. The program has diverted over 64,000 tons of organic waste, preventing 12,400 metric tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere, which is equivalent to removing 2,700 cars from the road for one year.
• The Smart Landfill Program (SLP) uses automation, infrared imaging, and real-time data to increase the efficiency of landfill gas collection, which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 15%. The program includes automated well tuning that adjusts valves based on temperature, pressure, and weather conditions to optimize collection.
• OCWR is piloting advanced detection tools, including drones for aerial emission mapping and robotic dogs equipped with methane sensors, to identify and mitigate leaks more efficiently than traditional manual technician walks.
• OCWR is planning to convert excess landfill gas into biomethane for local energy use and is researching solar installations on closed landfills to align with California's SB 100 goal of a 100 percent clean energy grid by 2045.

APA

RMI (2025). From Waste to Wins: How Orange County’s Smart Landfills Are Slashing Methane. https://rmi.org/resources/from-waste-to-wins-how-orange-countys-smart-landfills-are-slashing-methane/

Chicago

RMI. From Waste to Wins: How Orange County’s Smart Landfills Are Slashing Methane. 2025. https://rmi.org/resources/from-waste-to-wins-how-orange-countys-smart-landfills-are-slashing-methane/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=From Waste to Wins: How Orange County’s Smart Landfills Are Slashing Methane |date=30 January 2025 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/from-waste-to-wins-how-orange-countys-smart-landfills-are-slashing-methane/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2025from, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{From Waste to Wins: How Orange County’s Smart Landfills Are Slashing Methane}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/from-waste-to-wins-how-orange-countys-smart-landfills-are-slashing-methane/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }