Waste
The waste sector is the second largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions in the EU and contributes to around 27 per cent1 of all such emissions. Worldwide, it is the third-highest source of methane.
Methane in the waste sector is produced when biodegradable material found in organic Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) streams (e.g. food waste, garden clippings, wood and paper) breaks down in dumpsites, landfills or sewage treatment environments.
Fortunately, the solutions are readily available. The most important strategies for mitigating solid waste methane emissions—organic waste reduction, source separation and treatment of organic discards—are low-cost, scalable and easy to implement anywhere in the world.
Sources:
1 EEA, https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/methane-emissions-in-the-eu
Image Credits:
1 Intro image: Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
Waste-Related News and Releases
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We are excited to invite you to the conference “Cross-sectoral strategies for collective impact”, taking place on October 17th, 2024, in Brussels. This event will focus on the critical challenges and opportunities for methane reduction in the EU, especially following the adoption of the EU Methane Regulation. Key discussions will involve EU policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders from agriculture, energy and waste management sectors as we work together to shape meaningful strategies ahead of COP29.
Don’t miss this chance to contribute to Europe’s methane reduction efforts!
Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas (GHG), around 80 times more powerful than carbon- dioxide (CO2) over a 20-year period, and is responsible for a third of the global warming experienced to date.
Methane’s short lifespan makes it an attractive target for reducing climate warming quickly. Reducing human-caused methane emissions by up to 45% within a decade could prevent nearly 0.3°C of global warming by 2045 according to UNEP. This would support limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C, aligning with the Paris Agreement goal and prevent health issues and premature deaths from ground-level ozone (air pollution). In addition, global crop yields could increase by more than 25 million tonnes per year.
Global waste management is fraught with challenges, particularly concerning methane emissions from landfills. In 2020, over 2.1 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) were generated, with 62% managed at controlled facilities, and nearly half of this landfilled. With 2.7 billion people lacking waste collection services, the remaining 38% was handled in an uncontrolled manner. Methane, a potent short-term greenhouse gas, is a significant byproduct of landfilling biodegradable waste, contributing substantially to global warming.
Brussels, 19 Juni 2024: The Council of the EU has favoured the treatment of textile waste in its position on the Waste Framework Directive, while breaking its promise to reduce food waste,the environmental network Zero Waste Europe says. This marks another milestone in the file’s legislative process to hold textile producers accountable to the ‘polluter pays’ principle. […]
The vote in the European Parliament yesterday signalled victory for lawmakers seeking to hold textile producers accountable to cover the costs for the waste their products generate. […]
Members of the European Parliament voted on the Waste Framework Directive to raise legally-binding food waste reduction targets to 20% for processing and manufacturing, and 40% for retail, restaurants, and households. […]
Ahead of the EU bio-waste separate collection mandate in January 2024, Life Biobest’s Deliverable 5.2 identifies the gaps in the regulatory framework and systemic barriers obstructing efficient bio-waste management with high capture rates of high-quality material. […]
Released for public dissemination by the Life Biobest project, this report consists of a homogenised dataset on municipal bio-waste management. Originating from an investigation into the current status of data collection and reporting in the European Union, the publication contains data on basic information and boundary conditions for bio-waste collection and treatment for nearly all 27 EU Member States […]
We, a coalition of non-profit organisations working on methane mitigation, are writing in response to the recent communication on Europe’s 2040 climate target and path to climate neutrality by 2050 building a sustainable, just, and prosperous society. While we welcome the ambitious target of a net reduction of greenhouse gas by 90%, we are concerned at the removal of the proposed 30% reduction target for non-C02 emissions […]
65 non-profit and business organisations from 22 EU countries call on the European Parliament to introduce ambitious, legally binding targets to halve food waste by 2030 in the ongoing revision of the EU Waste Framework Directive (WFD). […]
Recognizing that, in order to ensure that the global community meets the Paris Agreement goal of keeping warming well below 2°C, while pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C, significant methane emission reductions must be achieved globally by 2030. […]
Our new study with Equanimator Ltd proves the cost-competitiveness of Material Recovery and Biological Treatment (MRBT)-based approaches for mixed waste treatment. The study found that MRBT costs are lower than costs for incineration, with MRBT becoming even more compelling once incinerators are included in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). […]
For EU member states, the issue of organic waste is becoming increasingly important and for most, quite alarming. Whilst capture rates for organics remain low across most of Europe, municipalities are having to identify plans and solutions due to the impending deadline for EU member states to mandatory separate and collect organic waste […]
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Other Main Sources of Methane Emission
The agricultural sector is responsible for around 54 per cent of all man-made methane emissions in the EU. There are already a number of cost-effective and immediately implementable solutions to reduce emissions. These include switching to a healthier and more sustainable diet, as well as reduced and improved consumption of meat and dairy products and technical measures in livestock farming.
Around 20 per cent of global methane emissions are produced during the processing of gas, the extraction and processing of crude oil and coal and by fossil gas used in the petrochemical industry for the production of plastics. At EU level, excluding emissions associated with EU imports of oil, gas and coal, the figure is 17 per cent. However, a new analysis by the IEA shows that methane emissions from the energy sector are around 70 per cent higher than previously assumed.