Dear Sponsors of House Bill 1663 – Reducing Methane from Landfills
Thank you for cosponsoring HB 1663, Reducing Methane Emissions from Landfills. As you know, landfills are a major source of methane emissions, and your bill will bring the State of Washington in line with Oregon, California, and the USEPA with respect to the efforts to reduce this potent global warming gas.
Unfortunately, even with added controls in place, landfills will remain a significant source of methane emissions. The US EPA recently stated that they have been “understating methane emissions from landfills by a factor of two,” and that their methods for estimating landfill methane emissions are outdated and flawed. (1.) Given your interest in reducing these emissions, we hope you will consider banning the practice of disposing of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in the state altogether, achievable by 2030, by moving toward an integrated waste management system, as successfully practiced today in much of Europe.
In addition to methane, landfills are responsible for the contamination of our air, water, and soil with toxics and persistent bioaccumulative chemicals such as PCB, flame retardants, pesticides and PFAS/PFOS. They create a serious problem for us and especially for future generations who will have to deal with, and pay for, perpetual maintenance even after the landfill is closed. An integrated waste management system reduces the amount of waste generated, increases recycling rates, recaptures valuable metals and other compounds that now end up in landfills and reduces the need for the production of virgin materials, saving valuable resources and energy.
We would be happy to discuss this with you in more detail. For more information, please see our website: www.ie-rm.org
Thank you again for caring about the environment, and for sponsoring this piece of legislation.
Sincerely,
Philipp Schmidt-Pathmann
President and CEO
- Statement by Susan Thorneloe, Senior Chemical Engineer at USEPA, on NPR, July 13, 2021 https://www.npr.org/2021/07/13/1012218119/epa-struggles-to-track-methane-from-landfills-heres-why-it-matters-for-the-clima
- Article by IeRM Waste Dive, November 12, 2021 https://www.wastedive.com/news/opinion-ierm-landfill-methane-reduction-biden/609693/