Municipal solid waste landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the country, accounting for about 15% in 2019, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Scientists and engineers see an opportunity to capture methane and use it to create energy. They’re also studying how it can lock carbon in the ground and enhance the soil in fields, orchards and rangelands to help farmers grow crops and livestock more efficiently.
One challenge for the state: building enough facilities like Recology’s, especially in Southern California, where composting is less common. Commercial-scale manufacturing businesses are expensive, and require land and heavy machinery.
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