Mitigating Landfill Methane Key Strategies and Policy Levers to Drive Emissions Reductions

This briefing by RMI outlines strategies and policy levers to reduce methane emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills in the United States. It proposes a two-pronged approach: improving the monitoring and control of existing waste and preventing new methane generation by diverting organic waste from landfills. The document advocates for stronger federal standards from the EPA to scale these reductions and protect adjacent communities.

• Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills in the United States emit approximately 3.7 million metric tons of methane annually, which equals about 295 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMT CO2e) on a 20-year horizon. This is comparable to the annual emissions of 79 coal-fired power plants or 66 million gas-powered passenger cars.
• Current methane emission models may significantly underestimate actual landfill emissions. Senior EPA personnel have suggested that these models might underestimate emissions by a factor of two, while aerial measurements have identified large point source emissions and substantial under-reporting at some sites.
• Landfill methane emissions are driven by the volume and composition of waste—with food waste being the most common landfilled material in the US—as well as landfill design, climate, and the effectiveness of gas collection and cover systems. Real-world gas collection efficiency varies widely, ranging from the low 20% range to over 90%.
• To reduce emissions from waste already in place, the document recommends comprehensive monitoring (using satellites, drones, and continuous sensors), robust gas collection system design, effective cover materials like biocovers, and efficient destruction via enclosed flares with at least 99% efficiency.
• Preventing new methane generation requires diverting organic waste through source reduction, edible food donation, and recycling into compost or biogas. According to the EPA's WARM model, diverting 75% of landfilled food waste in the US to anaerobic digesters or composting would reduce emissions by 80%–90% over the waste's lifetime.
• Subnational efforts have already demonstrated potential for reductions: the California Air Resources Board estimates a 10% direct emissions reduction across state landfills by 2030, and the Maryland Department of the Environment estimates a 25%–50% reduction from proposed regulations.
• The document argues that the EPA should use its authority under the Clean Air Act to establish more ambitious federal standards during its 2024 review of landfill emissions rules to ensure nationwide abatement and protect vulnerable communities, as 54% of landfills in the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program have nearby communities exceeding national averages for low-income or people of color populations.

APA

Garland, E., Alves, O., Frankiewicz, T., & Ayandele, E. (2023). Mitigating Landfill Methane Key Strategies and Policy Levers to Drive Emissions Reductions. RMI. https://rmi.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2023/06/landfill_monitoring_memo_series.pdf

Chicago

Garland, Ellie, Olivia Alves, Tom Frankiewicz, and Ebun Ayandele. Mitigating Landfill Methane Key Strategies and Policy Levers to Drive Emissions Reductions. RMI, 2023. https://rmi.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2023/06/landfill_monitoring_memo_series.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Garland |first1=Ellie |last2=Alves |first2=Olivia |last3=Frankiewicz |first3=Tom |last4=Ayandele |first4=Ebun |title=Mitigating Landfill Methane Key Strategies and Policy Levers to Drive Emissions Reductions |publisher=RMI |date=9 June 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2023/06/landfill_monitoring_memo_series.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{garland2023mitigating, author = {Garland, Ellie and Alves, Olivia and Frankiewicz, Tom and Ayandele, Ebun}, title = {{Mitigating Landfill Methane Key Strategies and Policy Levers to Drive Emissions Reductions}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://rmi.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2023/06/landfill_monitoring_memo_series.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }