Landfill Emissions Abatement Program
The EPA is taking steps to minimise the impact of greenhouse gas emissions from NSW landfills. This is essential for NSW to meet its net zero targets.
When organic waste decomposes in landfill, it releases methane which is a potent greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to climate change. Methane represents approximately 4% of the state's total annual greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, methane emissions from landfill constitute between 60% and 80% of local governments direct and indirect greenhouse gas contributions.
Currently, around 40 landfills across NSW have implemented gas capture infrastructure to mitigate their methane emissions. However, over 300 facilities still lack effective emissions management, leading to substantial environmental impacts. To address this, the Landfill Emissions Abatement Program (LEAP) has been established to focus on the largest landfills that have yet to incorporate emissions abatement measures.
LEAP has been designed to provide targeted assistance aimed at abating greenhouse gas emissions from landfills in NSW, thereby supporting broader climate initiatives and sustainability efforts.
Initiatives overview
| Initiative | Description |
|---|---|
| Emissions modelling and technology scan | Understanding the scale and source of landfill gas emissions, and options to minimise their impact |
| Resource development and knowledge sharing | Upskilling council staff and creating of a resource toolkit to support them |
| Procurement support | Putting supports in place to simplify the procurement process for councils looking to install landfill gas management technologies |
| Market readiness | Enabling the development of new and existing low flow landfill gas management technologies |
Resources
The EPA partnered with Hunter Joint Organisation to develop the Mastering Landfill Emissions with the NGERs calculator capacity building package. The package supports NSW councils with landfill emissions measurement and reporting and is available on the Hunter Joint Organisation website.