Total gross U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were 6.34 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2022. While landfills are the largest source of the waste sector’s emissions, other practices had notable totals as well. Wastewater treatment plants emitted 20.8 million metric tons of CO2e, a slight increase year-over-year, and composting emitted 2.6 million metric tons of CO2e, which is essentially unchanged from the prior year. Anaerobic digestion contributed 13,380 metric tons of CO2e, less than 0.05% of the overall emissions from waste. More >>
