View article

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from post-consumer waste and wastewater are a small contributor (about 3%) to total global anthropogenic GHG emissions. Emissions for 2004-2005 totalled 1.4 Gt CO₂-eq year^—1 relative to total emissions from all sectors of 49 Gt CO₂-eq year^{— 1} [including carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and F-gases normalized according to their 100-year global warming potentials (GWP)]. The CH₄ from landfills and wastewater collectively accounted for about 90% of waste sector emissions, or about 18% of global anthropogenic methane emissions (which were about 14% of the global total in 2004). Wastewater N₂O and CO₂ from the incineration of waste containing fossil carbon (plastics; synthetic textiles) are minor sources. Due to the wide range of mature technologies that can mitigate GHG emissions from waste and provide public health, environmental …