AN OVERVIEW OF THE IMPACT OF EPA'S LANDFILL METHANE OUTREACH PROGRAM IN REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND RESOURCE RECOVERY IN THE UNITED STATES

Landfills, one of the most favored waste management options, are also the largest source of anthropogenic methane emission in the U.S.A. Methane generated during the biochemical degradation of organic fraction of solid waste in a landfill, is also one of the main greenhouse gases, well known for its detrimental effects on the environment and most importantly for its role in global warming. In 1997 the United Nations, in its effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale, developed and adopted measures for implementation of the Kyoto Protocol as an amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Although the U.S.A. has not ratified the treaty within the Kyoto framework, nonetheless it has taken significant steps during the past 10 years for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from various point and non-point sources. The United States Environmental Protection Agency is spearheading this effort by documenting greenhouse gas emission reductions each year and by promoting processes and practices that are favorable for attaining the goal. Municipal Solid Waste landfills, comprising significant amount of biodegradable organic materials, accounted for 93 percent of the total landfill gas emissions in the U.S.A. for 1996. In its effort to reduce landfill methane emissions into the atmosphere and simultaneously harness landfill methane gas as an alternate energy resource, the U.S. EPA initiated the Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) in 1994 with the objective of providing information on landfill methane recovery technologies to landfill owners/operators/developers. This paper presents an overview of such efforts after a decade of program's initiation and also takes into consideration its impact in greenhouse gas emission reduction.