Waste
4% of 37 billion tonnes per year
Decarbonisation Pathway| 7 Sectorsmore details
| Sector | Emissions today | Decarbonisation pathway |
|---|---|---|
| Landfill | Very high — decomposing organic waste is the dominant waste emission source; methane is 80x more potent than CO₂ over 20 years; existing closed landfill continues emitting for decades, a long tail that cannot be fully abated | Improvable but structurally limited — landfill gas capture and conversion to energy (LFG-to-power) is investable today; capping closed sites reduces but cannot eliminate legacy emissions; the long-run solution is diverting organic waste out of landfill entirely |
| Food waste | High in aggregate — food and garden waste is the primary feedstock for landfill methane | High-leverage opportunity — diversion to composting or anaerobic digestion reduces methane and produces soil amendment or biogas; relatively low-cost abatement |
| Wastewater treatment | Moderate — methane and nitrous oxide from biological treatment of sewage and industrial effluent | Transitioning — anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge captures methane for biogas; energy-positive treatment plants already operating in leading markets |
| Incineration | Moderate — burning waste releases CO₂, particularly from plastic (fossil carbon); also NOx and particulates | Mixed — waste-to-energy reduces landfill methane but locks in fossil carbon combustion; bio-fraction incineration is carbon-neutral in accounting terms; net benefit depends heavily on what it displaces |
| Plastics & packaging | High in lifecycle terms — fossil carbon embedded in plastics is released at end of life via incineration or slow degradation | Early transition — mechanical and chemical recycling reducing virgin plastic demand; extended producer responsibility regulation accelerating; a long tail given plastic's durability |
| Industrial waste | Moderate — chemical, medical and industrial waste streams require specialist treatment | Slow improvement — treatment technologies mature; emissions reduction follows industrial decarbonisation upstream; reducing waste generation is the highest-leverage lever |
| Construction & demolition | Moderate — large volumes of inert and mixed waste; embodied carbon in demolished materials is lost | Early stage — material passports, deconstruction over demolition, and aggregate recycling beginning to enter mainstream practice; follows the broader built environment sustainability agenda |
Waste
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