This sector includes only municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills that accepted waste on or after January 1, 1980 and generated methane (CH4) in amounts equivalent to 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) or more per year. Landfills generate methane from the anaerobic degradation of organic wastes that are deposited. The gas can be collected and used as an energy source. An MSW landfill comprises the landfill, landfill gas collection systems, and landfill gas destruction devices (including flares). Of the 1,202 landfills that reported under this sector for reporting year 2010, 865 collected the CH4 generated. 540 MSW landfills burned the collected CH4 on site, while 33 transferred the collected CH4 to offsite facilities for burning, and 292 landfills had a mix of on-site and off-site burning. This sector does not include industrial waste, industrial, hazardous waste, or construction and demolition landfills. This sector has been expanded for reporting year 2011 to include data on industrial waste landfills. 

• Location and emissions range for each reporting facility in the landfills sector (as of 4/6/12).

  

  This map shows the locations of direct-emitting facilities. The size of a circle corresponds to the quantity of emissions reported by that facility.

Landfills Sector 2010 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reported to the GHGRP

• Number of facilities: 1,202
• Total emissions (CO2e): 107.4 million metric tons
• Emissions by category (CO2e):

   

  Combustion sources: Combustion emissions are produced from the combustion of fuel to provide process heat for industrial, commercial, or institutional use, whether the combustion is internal or external to the manufacturing process equipment. Examples are boilers, stationary internal combustion engines, process heaters, kilns, combustion turbines, and waste incinertors.

  Process emission sources: Process emissions are vented, evaporative, or fugitive emission from industrial manufacturing processes and from decomposition processes at landfills and wastewater treatment systems.

  • Combustion: 1.1 million metric tons
  • Process: 106.3 million metric tons

CO2 emissions from the combustion of biomass are NOT included in emissions totals provided above.

Other EPA Resources

• U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report