Average landfill emissions of a climate-forcing superpollutant are 1.4 times higher than what was reported to EPA, researchers found, adding to calls to improve methane monitoring at trash sites.
The study, published Thursday by the nonprofit Carbon Mapper alongside EPA, NASA and university researchers, reveals “a large discrepancy and generally poor correlation between” estimations submitted by landfills and measurements from spectrometers hovering above in air or in space.
High concentrations of methane were repeatedly detected at the same spots at 52 percent of surveyed landfills, leading researchers to believe current mitigation technologies may be leaking the methane they should be capturing.
“Addressing these high methane sources and mitigating persistent landfill emissions offers a strong potential for climate benefit,” Dan Cusworth, Carbon Mapper Program scientist and lead author on the paper, said in a news release. “The ability to precisely identify leaks is an efficient way to make quick progress on methane reduction at landfills, which could be critical for slowing global warming.”
