New GHG emissions data: Waste sector ranks 7th
- February 6, 2013
- By Jim Johnson
Waste is the seventh-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, according to the latest statistics released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The agency is out with its second year of greenhouse gas emissions data that show that the waste sector – municipal solid waste landfills, industrial waste landfills, industrial wastewater treatment systems and facilities that operate combustors or incinerators for the disposal of non-hazardous solid waste – accounted for 103 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents in 2011.
By comparison, power plants were the highest on the list of direct emitters with 2,221 million metric tons. They are followed by petroleum and natural gas systems at 225 million metric tons and refineries at 182. The chemical sector was next at 180, followed by a combined category of "other" at 126, metals at 115, and then waste.
Within the waste total, MSW landfills emitted 81 million metric tons, followed by solid waste combustion at 10 million, industrial landfills at 8.5 million, and wastewater treatment at 3.7 million, the EPA said.
There are a total of 41 source categories in the latest information, the EPA said.
"Transparency ensures a better informed public, which leads to a better protected environment," said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation, said in a statement. "With this second data release, communities, businesses and others can track and compare facilities' greenhouse gas emissions and identify opportunities to cut pollution, minimize wasted energy, and save money."
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