Deploying Advanced Monitoring Technologies at US Landfills

The document outlines strategies for reducing methane emissions from US municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills, emphasizing the transition from traditional manual surface emissions monitoring (SEM) to advanced technologies like satellites, aircraft, drones, and fixed sensors. It provides a six-step framework for monitoring-informed mitigation: selecting a system, deploying it, pinpointing sources, identifying root causes, deploying mitigation measures, and verifying reductions. The guide highlights that while organic waste diversion is critical for future emissions, improving waste-in-place controls offers immediate climate benefits.

• Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are the third-largest source of human-caused methane emissions in the United States, accounting for approximately 14% of the country's methane emissions.
• Traditional regulatory surface emissions monitoring (SEM) has significant limitations, including infrequent quarterly surveys, subjectivity, and the exclusion of hazardous areas, construction zones, and the active working face.
• The US EPA approved the first advanced alternative technology for regulatory SEM in December 2022, allowing the use of drone-based systems (OTM-51/ALT150) which provide more timely and objective data while improving worker safety.
• Advanced monitoring technologies can be categorized by sensor (point sensing, active imaging, or passive imaging) and platform (aerial, on-site mobile, or fixed sensor systems), each offering different trade-offs in spatial coverage, temporal relevance, and localization precision.
• Implementing best management practices (BMPs)—such as earlier gas collection, reduced cell size, and robust cover—can reduce methane emissions by 16% to 44% compared to business-as-usual operations.
• Analysis of airborne surveys in California (2020–2021) revealed that the most frequent causes of methane leaks were collection system downtime (49%) and cover cracks (22%).
• Advanced monitoring provides both reactive benefits, such as the 'find and fix' of specific leaks, and proactive benefits, such as informing the placement of gas collection wells or the selection of cover materials.
• Various US federal funding opportunities exist to support landfill methane monitoring and mitigation, including the $20 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and $5 billion in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants from the EPA.

APA

Ayandele, E., Frankiewicz, T., & Garland, E. (2024). Deploying Advanced Monitoring Technologies at US Landfills. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/dlm_uploads/2024/03/wasteMAP_united_states_playbook.pdf

Chicago

Ayandele, Ebun, Tom Frankiewicz, and Ellie Garland. Deploying Advanced Monitoring Technologies at US Landfills. RMI, 2024. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/dlm_uploads/2024/03/wasteMAP_united_states_playbook.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ayandele |first1=Ebun |last2=Frankiewicz |first2=Tom |last3=Garland |first3=Ellie |title=Deploying Advanced Monitoring Technologies at US Landfills |publisher=RMI |date=March 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/dlm_uploads/2024/03/wasteMAP_united_states_playbook.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ayandele2024deploying, author = {Ayandele, Ebun and Frankiewicz, Tom and Garland, Ellie}, title = {{Deploying Advanced Monitoring Technologies at US Landfills}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/dlm_uploads/2024/03/wasteMAP_united_states_playbook.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }