Challenging the belief that organic waste and plastic should be diverted from landfill on climate change grounds:

Abstract Landfill is generally believed to have higher greenhouse gas emissions than composting or waste-to-energy. The EU Landfill Directive requires nations to progressively divert biodegradable waste away from landfill. Waste disposal in landfill is at the bottom of its Waste Hierarchy. Many nations also ban landfilling of plastic. These policies may inadvertently increase global warming by increasing incineration. In Europe, Waste-to-Energy (WTE) incineration emits 72,000,000 tonnes of fossil CO2 a year, increasing yearly. Landfill methane is now generally captured. Nations that directly measure landfill gas emissions (the UK, Ireland and USA) now report about 65- 75% landfill gas recovery; the average for California is 79%. It is now almost always used to generate electricity. When burnt it does not emit fossil CO2. Landfill is a carbon sink, sequestering about half of the organic carbon deposited in it, long-term, like peat. This reduces the global flux of CO2.