The Importance of Landfill Gas Policy Measures

The purpose of this report is to identify and examine global policies, measures, and incentives that appear to be stimulating landfill gas (LFG) use. As certain countries have made great advances in landfill gas-to-energy (LFGE) development through effective policies, the intention of this report is to use information from the IEA Global Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Measures and Policies Databases to identify and discuss policies. By consolidating this information and categorising it according to policy type, the attributes that are most appealing or applicable to the circumstances of a particular country or area – technology demonstration, financial incentives, awareness campaigns, etc. – are more easily identified. The report begins with background information on LFG and sanitary landfill practices, including a discussion of regional disparities, followed by a description of LFG mitigation technologies. Barriers to LFGE projects are then outlined. An explanation of the importance and effectiveness of policy measures leads into a discussion of types and examples of measures that are being used to overcome these barriers and encourage LFGE development. The report concludes with lessons learned, recommendations for further study, and resources where more information can be found.