SWANA Submits Comments on Proposed Regulations for Waste Sector Methane Emissions

According to ECCC, the proposed regulations seek to reduce methane emissions from landfills through a performance-based approach that sets surface methane concentration limits and requires regular monitoring to confirm these limits are being met, to identify methane leaks, and to ensure methane recovery is optimized.   

SWANA supports the regulations’ intent and provided comments to address the practicality of their implementation. These comments include applicability definitions, clarifications, and viability of some of the proposed requirements.   

Considering that the new requirements will have cost impacts, SWANA requests the availability of federal funding for municipal and private landfills to support the necessary measures for managing emissions and meeting compliance with the proposed regulations.  

SWANA also requested that the applicability of the regulations be specific to a Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Landfill rather than a landfill that accepts MSW, as currently proposed. The comments included a recommendation to allow extension requests for landfills that need additional time to apply corrective action, which would assist landfills that may need additional equipment, consultant support, and budget changes to take the corrective action.   

The comments submitted by SWANA also addressed surface methane monitoring methods, including the intervals for surface measurements. SWANA recommended expanding options for sites to qualify for offset credits.   

SWANA will continue to monitor and provide feedback on the next steps of regulation finalization and implementation.