Waste streams are made up of many components including recycling plants, incineration facilities, and, regrettably – landfills. In an ideal world, everything would be recycled, but landfills are needed to hold the waste that either can’t, or is too inefficient to process. However, a downside of storing so much waste of various kinds is the gases it gives off.

At ETM Recycling, we help businesses manage their waste and recycle as much as possible. In this article we’ll offer insight on landfill gas, show its connection to climate change, and provide ways for you to reduce the amount you send to landfill.

For expert assistance with your commercial waste management, get in touch today.

What is in Landfills?

Anything that isn’t reused or recycled will likely find its way to landfill. Ground is quarried to create a large pit, and all the waste is bundled inside. Landfills can be either covered or uncovered, with an average size of 500-600 acres (around 340 football pitches!), meaning they can hold a huge quantity of waste. The majority of waste in landfill can be categorised in three ways:

Landfill Gas & Biogas

As waste inside of a landfill breaks down, it decomposes into different chemicals. The vast majority of these gases are methane and carbon dioxide – two greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Other gases include:

  • Nitrogen
  • Oxygen
  • Sulphides
  • Ammonia
  • Hydrogen

Historically, CFCs and similar gases from things like discarded refrigerators would also contribute to the gas held in landfill, but these have been outlawed in the UK since 2000 so aren’t as prevalent in modern landfills.

Degradable Waste

Biogas is a result of the decay of degradable waste. While things like plastic are often looked on as a great harm to the environment – taking upwards of 400 years to decay – degradable waste can have harmful effects as well. If not properly managed, the methane and carbon dioxide that are produced en-masse from degradable waste can leak into the atmosphere and cause climate change.

Non-Degradable Waste

The rest of the landfill is made up of ‘non-degradable waste’: items that aren’t likely to deteriorate for hundreds of years or more. Despite this, these items can still release harmful chemicals like methane and ethylene, greatly contributing to climate change over an incredibly long period.

What is the Impact of Landfill Gas on the Environment?

The high methane content of landfill gas, alongside the carbon dioxide, is the primary reason it impacts climate change. Methane is the biggest factor, as it is roughly 80 times worse than CO2 over an initial 20 year period. Even after it decays, it still turns into carbon dioxide – another greenhouse gas – continuing the environmental detriments.

The reason why methane is so detrimental is due to its molecular structure. It has a strong ability to absorb radiation from the sun and the Earth’s surface, trapping heat and preventing it from escaping into space. This creates an intense greenhouse effect, leading to climate change and warmer global temperatures.

Landfills in particular are key offenders for methane gas emissions, making up 30% of all the methane emitted in Europe. As such, landfill gas is one of the greatest contributors to climate change, and should be immediately addressed in all business activities.

Harnessing Landfill Gas for Good

One of the most abundant gases produced by landfills is methane. Rather than simply allowing it to leak into the atmosphere, it can instead be used as a relatively eco-friendly fuel called biomethane. Biomethane can be used for heating, electricity, and more, while the byproducts of its utilisation like carbon dioxide can be further processed to reduce their environmental impact as well.

Despite these silver linings, landfill gas is a toxic cloud that should be eliminated at all costs. Luckily, there are some ways to help reduce it – or prevent it entirely.

How to Reduce and Prevent Landfill Gas

Anyone can help to prevent the impacts of landfill gases. Commercial waste can be varied and plentiful, so finding ways to manage it better (or cut back entirely) will massively aid in global climate change initiatives while also helping your company meet its sustainability goals.

Here are a few ways you can help to reduce landfill gas:

Sort Your Waste

Properly organising your waste into the appropriate recycling bins will help more of it reach the right places in the waste stream, meaning it can be processed and turned back into usable materials. This has knock on benefits for you as well, increasing the prevalence and lowering the costs of sustainable recycled materials.

Reduce the Amount of Packaging You Use

Companies around the world constantly innovate on the amount of packaging they use. From thin recyclable plastic coverings, to biodegradable plastics and papers, to percentage reductions in the thickness and material used, there are many different ways you can reduce the amount of packaging on your products.

The byproduct of this is less waste produced, but also less expenditure on the materials for packaging, providing economic benefits alongside the environmental ones.

Recycle Whenever Possible

While it can seem easiest to just lump everything into the waste bin, properly recycling will have the greatest positive effect on the environment. Use your recycling bins, clean your waste, and separate it as required.

Find out how recycling can reduce your business’s carbon emissions >

Consider Biowaste Initiatives

Biowaste is one of the biggest sources of methane in landfills. As such, you should aim to reduce or prevent biowaste such as food waste from ending up in one. You can do this by seeking out biowaste initiatives in your local community, where waste food and other biomass can be processed into beneficial resources like clean fuel.

Work with a Trusted Waste Management Partner

The best way to mitigate your landfill gas production is to work with a trusted partner who can advise you on the steps you can take to reduce your waste, while also handling any waste you do produce to ensure it reaches the appropriate destination.

Reduce Landfill Waste with ETM Recycling

Landfill gas is a harmful substance, but by reducing waste and managing it correctly, it could be all but eliminated. If you’re interested in improving your waste management, ETM Recycling has the solution. We provide waste management solutions to ensure your business can be as sustainable as possible. Get in touch today to find out more.

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Check out our beginner’s guide to commercial waste management in Wales >