Waste and greenhouse gases: Canada’s actions

When organic wastes – such as food, yard waste and paper – are disposed in landfills, they produce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. This process occurs over many years, which means that the methane generated in landfills today is the result of decades of disposal of organic waste.

According to Canada's Greenhouse Gas Inventory, in 2022, emissions from Canadian landfills accounted for 17% of national methane emissions.

Reducing methane emissions at landfills

By installing landfill gas management systems, methane is recovered before it can be emitted to the atmosphere. The recovered landfill gas is either flared (burned) or used to create low-carbon energy. There are over 100 landfills in Canada that have systems in place to recover landfill gas and reduce emissions. Other approaches reduce emissions through the use of biological systems (for example, biocovers and biofilters).

Recovered landfill gas can be used to create low-carbon fuels and energy such as renewable natural gas and electricity.

ECCC maintains a Landfill Gas Inventory which includes:

• open landfills with a waste capacity greater than 100,000 tonnes and that receive more than 500 tonnes of municipal solid waste per year
• closed landfills with at least 450,000 tonnes of waste in place

Request a copy of the Landfill Gas Inventory.

Organic waste reduction and diversion

Diverting organic waste away from landfills and processing it at composting or anaerobic digestion facilities avoids the generation of landfill methane and extends the lifespan of the landfill.

Composting includes everything from backyard composters to large facilities that turn food waste, yard and garden waste and other organic wastes into compost that can be used as a soil amendment.

Anaerobic digestion is an industrial process that is used to convert food and other organic waste into biogas (a methane-rich gaseous mixture that can replace the use of fossil fuels and fossil-based energy) and a nutrient-rich soil amendment.

Find out more about these organic waste management technologies through the Technical Document on Municipal Solid Waste Organics Processing.

Of course, reducing the amount of food waste created in the first place makes the most of the energy and resources that go into growing and producing food, reduces the amount of waste that needs to be managed, and reduces landfill methane emissions.

Learn about how we can reduce Food loss and waste.

Find out more about the ways waste management can impact GHG emissions by using the GHG Calculator for Organic Waste Management.

Actions to reduce landfill methane emissions

Canada’s Methane Strategy describes federal approaches for reducing methane emissions from the waste sector by 2030.

Regulations

The Government of Canada is proposing new regulations to require certain landfills to control methane emissions. The proposed Regulations Respecting the Reduction in the Release of Methane (Waste Sector) aim to reduce methane emissions from Canadian landfills by about 50 per cent by 2030 (from 2019 levels).

The consultation period on the proposed Regulations closed on August 28, 2024.

Find out more about the ongoing engagement on reducing methane emissions from Canada’s municipal solid waste landfills.

Technical Resources

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has created the following resources to help estimate, measure and monitor methane at landfills in Canada:

• The ECCC Landfill Methane Modelling Tool
• The Technical Guidance Document on Estimating, Measuring and Monitoring Landfill Methane

The Technical Guidance Document and Modelling Tool support the implementation of the proposed new federal regulations.

The Modelling Tool can be used to estimate methane generation at Canadian landfills. The Technical Guidance Document provides guidance for the use of the Modelling Tool and describes approaches for monitoring of landfill gas collection systems and measuring surface methane concentrations.

The Technical Guidance Document and Modelling Tool present best practices and standardized procedures that can be implemented at any Canadian landfill, regardless of its size or regulatory status.

Request a copy of the Modelling Tool and the Technical Guidance Document.

Revenue Opportunities

Greenhouse Gas Offset Credits

Under the Canadian Greenhouse Gas Offset Credit System Regulations, a federal offset protocol has been published for landfill gas recovery and destruction projects. Eligible projects will be able to generate revenue for landfill owners and project developers.

Find out more about Canada’s GHG Offset Credit System and the Landfill Methane Recovery and Destruction protocol.

Clean Fuel Standard

In addition to increasing the demand and revenue potential for low-carbon fuels (such as renewable natural gas produced at landfills or anaerobic digestion facilities), the Clean Fuel Standard gives opportunities for non-regulated parties to create credits.

Funding programs

Emerging approaches for reducing landfill methane emissions

ECCC is funding 6 projects to conduct pilot tests of emerging monitoring technologies that can help reduce methane emissions at landfills. The funded projects consist of the installation, operation and evaluation of emerging technologies including:

• drone-based measurement systems that can identify methane hotspots and leaks and/or quantify the total site emission rate
• automated wellfield monitoring and tuning systems that can be added to existing landfill gas collection systems to maximize efficiency

Find out more about the projects supported by the Emerging approaches for reducing landfill methane emissions fund.

Food waste prevention and diversion: Research and capacity building fund

ECCC is funding projects that will target research and capacity building opportunities for reducing and/or diverting food and other organic waste from landfill. Funds are supporting 2 primary focus areas:

• research activities, such as demonstration projects, pilots, and other research projects that will help inform program specifications and policy development that optimize food waste prevention and diversion
• capacity building activities, such as the development of guidance resources and toolkits, and knowledge sharing initiatives that connect experts across sectors and disciplines to facilitate information exchange and skills development

Find out more about the Food waste prevention and diversion: Research and capacity building fund.

Other funding programs

Although not specific to the waste sector, projects that research or take action to avoid or reduce methane emissions from landfills or create low-carbon energy or fuels from waste may be eligible under several federal funding programs, including:

• Low Carbon Economy Fund
• Environmental Damages Fund
• Green Municipal Fund – Organic Waste-to-Energy Offer

International engagement

In October 2021, Canada confirmed support for the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to reduce global methane emissions by 30% below 2020 levels by 2030 through focused efforts in the energy, agriculture, and waste sectors.

The Global Methane Initiative (GMI) is an international partnership dedicated to reducing methane emissions, as well as recovering and using methane as a clean energy source. Canada is co-chair of the GMI Biogas Sector Subcommittee, which includes agriculture, municipal solid waste, and wastewater technical groups.

Contact us

Waste Reduction and Management Division
Environment and Climate Change Canada
351 Saint-Joseph Boulevard
Gatineau QC  K1A 0H3
Email: ges-dechets-ghg-waste@ec.gc.ca