Your ‘Clean’ Energy Is Secretly Poisoning Nearby Landfills Right Now

Methane gas seeps from landfills across the globe, creating a hidden climate crisis that’s worse than scientists previously thought. New research shows U.S. landfills emit up to 2.7 times more methane than officials estimated. This invisible gas is 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat.

Landfills produce 20% of the world’s methane emissions. They’re the third-largest source of this dangerous gas in America. Colorado’s landfills alone released 4.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2020. The real numbers might be much higher because many methane plumes go undetected. Over half of surveyed landfills have concentrated methane plumes from leaks that current monitoring systems miss.

Landfills silently leak massive amounts of methane, fueling a hidden climate catastrophe worldwide.

The problem extends beyond greenhouse gases. Landfills create leachate, a toxic liquid that threatens drinking water. This poisonous soup contains heavy metals and chemicals that seep into groundwater and streams. No landfill design can completely stop these toxins from escaping into the environment. Communities near landfills report chronic headaches, nausea, and asthma attacks from hazardous air pollutants.

Clean energy projects are making the problem worse. Solar panels and wind turbines eventually break down. When they do, they often end up in landfills. These materials add dangerous substances to the toxic mix already brewing underground.

Some landfills capture methane to make electricity. While this sounds good, it doesn’t solve the core issue. Collection systems can’t catch all the gas. What escapes still damages the climate. Communities near these facilities still face pollution from flare systems that burn excess gas.

The plastic waste crisis compounds these problems. Americans threw away 44 million metric tons of plastic in 2019. Only 5% got recycled. The rest sits in landfills where it never breaks down. This wasted plastic contained enough energy to power 5% of the country’s transportation needs. Like fossil fuel extraction, landfill operations cause severe habitat destruction and long-term ecosystem damage.

Global waste generation has reached 2.01 billion tonnes yearly. Landfill emissions now equal about 5% of all greenhouse gases worldwide. That’s 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent poisoning the atmosphere annually.

Economic studies in Colorado found that every dollar spent on methane reduction returns six dollars in benefits. Yet most landfills still lack proper monitoring and treatment systems. The waste keeps piling up while methane continues its invisible assault on the climate.