Methane emissions from landfills not being contained by EPA rules, environmental group says

Remote sensing of methane from high-altitude aircraft reveals plumes of the gas coming from the open face, at left, and from a vent, at right, at the River Birch landfill outside New Orleans in April 2021. (University of Arizona, Arizona State University, NASA JPL, Carbon Mapper)

Methane emissions from landfills — one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States — could be reduced through stronger regulations and better emissions monitoring, according to a new report by the Environmental Integrity Project, a Washington environmental organization. 

The report says that, to reduce emissions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency needs to require more gas-collection systems at landfills, more monitoring and accurate reporting of emissions and to encourage more composting, recycling and reduction in the waste stream by consumers.