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Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP)
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GHGRP Waste

View waste sector profile
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Waste IconThe waste sector consists of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills, industrial waste landfills, industrial wastewater treatment systems, and facilities that operate combustors or incinerators for the disposal of nonhazardous solid waste. Emissions from fossil fuel combustion at facilities with industrial waste landfills, and industrial wastewater treatment systems are included in other sectors.

MSW landfills. This category consists of landfills that accepted MSW on or after January 1, 1980 and generate methane in amounts equivalent to 25,000 metric tons of CO2e or more per year. This category includes emissions from the landfill, landfill gas collection systems, and destruction devices for landfill gases (including boilers, engines, and flares).

Industrial Waste Landfills. This category consists of industrial waste landfills that accepted industrial waste on or after January 1, 1980 and that have a total landfill design capacity of 300,000 metric tons or more. The category excludes landfills for hazardous waste and those that receive only construction and demolition or inert wastes. This category includes emissions from the landfill, landfill gas collection systems, and destruction devices for landfill gases (including flares).

Industrial Wastewater Treatment. This category consists of anaerobic processes used to treat nonhazardous industrial wastewater and industrial wastewater treatment sludge at facilities that perform pulp and paper manufacturing, food processing, ethanol production, or petroleum refining.

Solid Waste Combustion. This category consists of combustors and incinerators for the disposal of nonhazardous solid waste.

On this page:
  • 2021 Total Reported Direct Emissions from Waste, by Subsector (as of 8/12/2022)
  • Trend of Annual Reported GHG Emissions by Subsector (as of 8/12/2022)
  • Location and emissions for each reporting facility in the waste sector (as of 8/12/2022)
  • Number of reporters and emissions in the waste sector (as of 8/12/2022)

2021 Total Reported Direct Emissions from Waste, by Subsector (as of 8/12/2022)

Trend of Annual Reported GHG Emissions by Subsector (as of 8/12/2022)

What factors influenced the trend in emissions for the waste sector?

Location and emissions for each reporting facility in the waste sector (as of 8/12/2022)

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

Number of reporters and emissions in the waste sector (as of 8/12/2022)

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Last updated on October 17, 2022
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