Clean Energy Future

Under the Australian Government’s Clean Energy Future plan, a number of landfill facilities may have obligations under the carbon price from 1 July 2012, creating an incentive and opportunities to reduce emissions from landfill.

A fact sheet has been created to provide information to local councils and landfill operators on the steps they should take to:

• determine whether they are liable under the carbon pricing mechanism
• explore options for reducing or avoiding liability through activities that reduce emissions, and
• estimate the true cost impacts of a carbon price on waste charges.

Landfill facilities that emit 25,000 tonnes or more of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions each year are liable under the scheme.

The carbon price will not apply to emissions from waste deposited prior to 1 July 2012 (known as legacy waste emissions), but legacy waste emissions do count towards determining whether a facility meets the participation threshold.

As a rule of thumb, a tonne of mixed waste deposited in landfill will emit approximately one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent over many decades, peaking within the first few years after being deposited. However, there are opportunities to substantially reduce emissions from landfill.

Many systems can be put in place to reduce carbon emissions such as capturing landfill gas to generate electricity, flaring methane, waste diversion, recycling and composting.

For more information visit Carbon price opportunities and obligations for landfill managers.