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Database research record2023·United States

Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development

Urban Farm DB summary

An EPA report that for the first time quantifies methane emissions attributable to food waste in U.S. municipal solid waste landfills from 1990 to 2020 (EPA-600-R-23-064). In 2020, food waste was responsible for about 55 million metric tons CO2e of landfill emissions and accounted for 58% of fugitive methane emissions from MSW landfills. Because food waste decays quickly, 50% of its carbon degrades within 3.6 years, often before gas collection systems are installed.

Extracted facts

6 facts

Only numbers and their conditions are stored, as structured data — never the source's own sentences. Metric and condition names stay in English, as coded.

  • 55 mmt_co2e

    landfill ghg emissions 2020(food waste)

    Climate
    region
    United States
    year
    2020
    source
    MSW landfills
  • 58 %

    share of fugitive landfill methane(food waste)

    Climate
    region
    United States
    source
    MSW landfills
  • 61 %

    methane not captured by gas collection(landfilled food waste)

    Climate
    region
    United States
  • 34 metric_tons_ch4_per_907_metric_tons_waste

    fugitive methane per 1000 tons(landfilled food waste)

    Climate
    region
    United States
    equivalent
    838 mmt CO2e
  • 3.6 years

    carbon decay half life(landfilled food waste)

    Climate
    region
    United States
    definition
    50% of carbon degraded to landfill gas
  • 77 mmt_co2e↓ Decrease

    cumulative emissions avoided by 50pct diversion(landfilled food waste)

    ClimateControl: business as usual
    region
    United States
    scenario
    50% reduction in landfilled food waste starting 2015
    measured by
    2020

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  • Carbon / GHGSupportsWith caveats

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