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Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases
Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases: A Life-Cycle Assessment of Emissions and Sinks
In the 21st century, management of municipal solid waste continues to be an important environmental challenge. Climate change is also a serious issue, and the United States is embarking on a number of voluntary actions to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases that can intensify climate change. This report examines how municipal solid waste management and climate change are related.
Management of municipal solid waste presents many opportunities for greenhouse gas emission reductions. Source reduction and recycling can reduce emissions at the manufacturing stage, increase forest carbon storage, and avoid landfill methane emissions. Combustion of waste allows energy recovery to displace fossil fuel-generated electricity from utilities, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the utility sector and landfill methane emissions. Diverting organic materials from landfills also reduces methane emissions.
This report is the third edition of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Management of Selected Materials in Municipal Solid Waste. You can download the report using the links below.
Since the publication of the second edition of the report, EPA's Climate and Waste Program has added several new material types, which have been published separately on this website. With the recent publication of the third edition of this report, EPA has added tires as a new material type, as well as updating the emission factors for most other material types. The methodologies used to develop the factors for tires are documented in the Background Documents below. These background documents also provide supporting detail regarding the methodology and data used to develop the report and to update existing emission factors.
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Full Report (PDF, 170 pp., 5.6 MB)
Cover (PDF, 1 page, 324 KB)
Table of Contents (PDF, 4 pp., 182 KB)
Executive Summary (PDF, 20 pp., 619 KB)
Methodology (PDF, 15 pp., 408 KB)
Raw Materials Acquisition and Manufacturing (PDF, 14 pp., 1.2 MB)
Source Reduction and Recycling (PDF, 17 pp., 676 KB)
Composting (PDF, 15 pp., 279 KB)
Combustion (PDF, 14 pp., 637 KB)
Landfilling (PDF, 17 pp., 947 KB)
Energy Impacts (PDF, 10 pp., 657 KB)
Energy and Emission Benefits (PDF, 17 pp., 1.1 MB)
Appendix A: Raw Materials and Extraction Reference Point (PDF, 2 pp., 1.4 MB)
Appendix B: Carbon Dioxide Equivalent Emission Factors (PDF, 7 pp., 1.0 MB)
Appendix C: Roadmap from the Second Edition (PDF, 6 pp., 176 KB)
Background Document on the Effect of Paper Recycling on Forest Carbon (PDF, 10 pp., 79 KB)
Background Document for Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Factors for Clay Brick Reuse and Concrete Recycling (PDF, 21 pp., 775 KB)
Background Document for Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Factors for Fly Ash Used as a Cement Replacement in Concrete (PDF, 17 pp., 585 KB)
Background Document for Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Factors for Carpet and Personal Computers (PDF, 57 pp., 346 KB)
Background Document for Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Factors for Copper Wire (PDF, 16 pp., 81 KB)
Background Document for Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Factors for Scrap Tires (PDF, 8 pp., 47 KB)
Barlaz, M.A. 1997. " Biodegradative Analysis of Municipal Solid Waste in Laboratory-Scale Landfills ," EPA 600/R-97-071. (PDF, 6 pp., 31 KB)
EDF. 1995. Paper Task Force Recommendations for Purchasing and Using Environmentally Preferable Paper: Final Report of the Paper Task Force . Environmental Defense Fund (New York, NY), 245pp. (PDF, 249 pp., 3.2 MB)
KAB. 1994. The Role of Recycling in Integrated Solid Waste Management to the Year 2000 . Keep America Beautiful , prepared by Franklin Associates, Ltd. (Stamford, CT), pp.I-27, I-30, and I-31 (PDF, 34 pp., 2.2 MB)
ICF. 1995. "Work Assignment 239, Task 2: Carbon Sequestration in Landfills ," Memorandum from ICF Consulting to United States Environmental Protection Agency, Exhibit 2-A, column "O." (PDF, 8 pp., 51 KB)
ICF. 2004. " WARM Model Transportation Research - Draft ." Memorandum from ICF Consulting to United States Environmental Protection Agency. September 7, 2004. (PDF, 4 pp., 57 KB)
ICF. 2005. " Revised Landfilling Emission Factors Based on New WOODCARB Inputs . " Memorandum from ICF Consulting to United States Environmental Protection Agency. May 6, 2005. (PDF, 6 pp., 93 KB)
ICF. 2005. " Revised Landfill Carbon Storage Factor and Net Emission Factor for Leaves based on New Experimental Results ," Memorandum from ICF Consulting to United States Environmental Protection Agency. July 27, 2005. (PDF, 4 pp., 53 KB)
ICF. 2005. " Revised Landfilling Emission Factors based on New WOODCARB Inputs - Errata to May 6, 2005 Memo ," Memorandum from ICF Consulting to United States Environmental Protection Agency. August 1, 2005. (PDF, 2 pp., 52 KB)
U.S. EPA. 1998a. Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Management of Selected Materials in Municipal Solid Waste . Background Document A: A Life Cycle of Process and Transportation Energy for Eight Different Materials . United States Environmental Protection Agency, prepared by Franklin Associates, Ltd. (PDF, 94 pp., 4.4 MB)
U.S. EPA. 1998b. Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Management of Selected Materials in Municipal Solid Waste . Background Document A, Attachment 1: A Partial Life Cycle Inventory of Process and Transportation Energy for Boxboard and Paper Towels . United States Environmental Protection Agency, prepared by Franklin Associates, Ltd. (PDF, 46 pp., 2.4 MB)
U.S. EPA. 1998c. Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Management of Selected Materials in Municipal Solid Waste . Background Document B: Methodology for Estimating the Amounts and Types of Energy Consumed in Raw Materials Acquisition and Manufacturing of Eight Different Materials. United States Environmental Protection Agency, prepared by the Tellus Institute. (PDF, 74 pp., 3.6 MB)
U.S. EPA. 1998d. Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Management of Selected Materials in Municipal Solid Waste . Background Document C: Review Process for the Report . United States Environmental Protection Agency. (PDF, 3 pp., 23 KB)
U.S. EPA. 1998e. Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Management of Selected Materials in Municipal Solid Waste . Background Document D: Comment-Response Document. United States Environmental Protection Agency, prepared by ICF Consulting. (PDF, 63 pp., 221 KB)
If you need additional information about the Report and Background Documents, please email Sara Hartwell (Hartwell.Sara@epamail.epa.gov).