In this opinion piece for The Brussels Times, ESWET President Siegfried Scholz raises awareness about the dangers of methane emissions from landfills.

“Waste from food and other rubbish in landfills accounts for around 10 per cent of all global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN’s Environmental Programme…Methane gas leaking from landfills traps 81 times more heat in the atmosphere than CO2 over 20 years and about 28 times more over 100 years,” Dr. Scholz explains.

“It is clear that solving this issue is critical to fighting climate change”, he adds.

With the upcoming revision of the Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) expected in mid-2026, Dr. Scholz ask the EU turn its gaze to landfills rather than expanding the ETS scheme to the Waste-to-Energy (WtE) sector.

“If the EU is serious about meeting its landfill reduction target, tackling climate change meaningfully, and improving people’s health, it must stop penalising the very solution that brings added benefits. Instead, it should accelerate efforts to end the landfilling of biogenic waste and increase recycling rates.

WtE helps reduce waste destined to landfill “and consequently methane emissions, as well as a host of other associated risks – such as soil and groundwater pollution. Thermal treatment also allows for the recovery of metals, which cannot otherwise be recycled, and provides energy to local communities.”

Click here to read the full article.