Methane emissions at nearly two dozen U.S. landfills are surpassing federal limits, often exceeding what facility owners have reported to the government. 🗑️💨 A recent analysis by environmental nonprofit Industrious Labs reveals that current EPA regulations aren't cutting it in preventing these garbage dumps from releasing significant amounts of the climate-warming gas methane.
The study highlights that methane, which is more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term, accounted for over 14% of U.S. methane emissions in 2022. This makes landfills the third-largest source behind the oil and gas sector and livestock.
\"More and more evidence is piling up that it's time for the EPA to act and begin that process of updating the rule,\" said Katherine Blauvelt, Circular Economy Director at Industrious Labs.
Industrious Labs is pushing for the EPA to adopt more advanced monitoring technologies, extend regulations to smaller landfills, and accelerate the installation of gas-capturing systems as landfills expand. The EPA has acknowledged that methane emissions are a missed opportunity for capturing and using energy resources. Last year, the agency pointed out that food waste is responsible for about 58% of fugitive methane emissions from landfills and suggested diverting it away to reduce emissions.
The EPA is slated to reassess its landfill regulations by August, aligning with President Joe Biden's administration efforts to curb methane emissions in the oil and gas industry and leading a global push to slash methane emissions since 2021. 🌱🔧
