Reducing+methane+emissions+from+landfills

Global methane emissions from landfill are estimated to be between 30 and 70 million tonnes each year. Most of this landfill methane currently comes from developed countries, where the levels of waste tend to be highest. Landfills provide ideal conditions for methanogenesis, with lots of organic material and anaerobic conditions prevalent. The huge amounts of waste that are buried in landfill sites can mean that methane is produced for years after the site is closed, due to the waste slowly decaying under the ground. Methane escapes from landfills either directly to the atmosphere or by diffusion through the cover soil. Highly active communities of methanotrophs can develop in these overlying soils and these can greatly reduce the amounts of methane emitted.