Regulations Respecting the Reduction in the Release of Methane (Waste Sector)

If you own or operate a large landfill that has accepted municipal solid waste, you are likely affected — the government estimates 146 landfills (122 publicly owned, 24 privately owned) will face full compliance obligations, out of roughly 3,000 landfills in Canada that are too small to be caught. The typical regulated landfill will need to spend an average of $2.90 million on capital equipment (wells, blowers, flares), plus ongoing operating and monitoring costs averaging $62,000–$124,000 per year depending on when your compliance obligations kick in. These costs translate to roughly $2 per tonne of waste you accept, which is a 1.5–4% increase on top of typical tipping fees — costs that will very likely be passed through to municipalities and waste haulers. Once you are regulated, you will no longer be eligible to generate or sell federal GHG offset credits for landfill methane recovery, which eliminates a revenue stream some operators currently rely on, though you may still be able to earn revenue by selling renewable natural gas or electricity generated from your recovered landfill gas.