When most people think about climate solutions in Georgia, they think about solar panels, electric vehicles, or tree planting. But beneath the surface — quite literally — lies one of the most powerful and immediate opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our state.

Landfill methane capture may not always make headlines, yet it represents a high-impact, market-ready climate solution that delivers measurable emissions reductions while improving air quality, supporting economic development, and strengthening community resilience. For Georgia’s policymakers and local leaders, it is a practical tool that turns a long-standing waste challenge into an opportunity.

In the latest Georgia Climate Digest video interview, host Eriqah Vincent sits down with Garry Harris, Managing Director of the Center for Sustainable Communities, to explore why landfill methane capture deserves more attention and how it benefits communities across Georgia.

CHAPTERS:

1:00 - Introduction to the Center for Sustainable Communities

2:00 - Why landfill methane is a significant climate issue

5:37 - How we can reduce methane emissions from landfills

8:34 - What is landfill methane capture, and how does it work?

10:57 - How do communities benefit from landfill methane projects?

17:13 - The importance of community engagement and climate justice

23:00 - What's giving Garry hope around climate

Watch the video above to hear their full conversation, or keep reading to learn about this often overlooked climate solution.

Why Is Landfill Methane a Significant Climate Issue?

As food scraps, yard debris, and other organic materials decompose in landfills, they release methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide.

Garry explains that methane has a global warming potential up to 30 times stronger than carbon dioxide over 100 years and more than 80 times stronger over a 20-year timeframe. That short-term intensity makes methane particularly important to address if Georgia hopes to see meaningful emissions reductions in the near future.

Georgia currently has 77 landfills producing an estimated 180 million cubic feet of landfill gas per day. That adds up to roughly 65 billion cubic feet annually. Without capture systems, a portion of that methane escapes into the atmosphere, accelerating warming.

But there is significant upside: capturing emissions from just four landfill gas sites can result in approximately a one megaton reduction of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. For policymakers tracking progress toward emissions goals, that scale of reduction is substantial.

>> Learn more about how landfill gas capture is cutting emissions in Georgia.

How Does Landfill Methane Capture Work?

While the engineering is sophisticated, the concept is straightforward. Landfills are fitted with vertical and horizontal pipes that collect the gas that is generated as waste decomposes. Vacuum systems draw the gas through these pipes into treatment systems, where moisture and impurities are removed. What remains is a refined renewable natural gas that can be put to work.

That captured gas can generate electricity, fuel industrial processes, power combined heat and power systems, or even be converted into transportation fuels. In other words, a waste byproduct becomes a local energy asset.

Georgia already has 19 landfill gas-to-energy facilities producing approximately 66 megawatts of electricity. Some facilities use the energy on-site, while others connect to the grid. Even more promising, 25 of Georgia’s 77 landfills have been identified as sites for potential future gas-to-energy projects.

For county commissioners, city managers, and sustainability directors, this represents an opportunity to scale a proven solution that aligns with economic and environmental priorities.

How Does Landfill Gas Capture Benefit Local Communities Beyond Emissions Reduction?

For policymakers balancing budgets and constituent concerns, landfill methane capture offers multiple co-benefits.

First, there are clear environmental and public health improvements. Capturing methane reduces odors, limits harmful air pollutants, and decreases explosion risks associated with unmanaged landfill gas. Communities located near landfills — often lower-income or historically marginalized communities — experience direct air quality improvements.

Second, there are economic opportunities. Installing and operating landfill gas systems requires engineers, construction workers, technicians, and long-term operations staff. These projects can create jobs and generate new revenue streams for landfill owners and local governments. Reliable, locally generated renewable energy can also help attract industrial operations that need stable energy sources.

For jurisdictions looking to strengthen energy resilience while supporting workforce development, landfill methane capture checks multiple boxes at once.

How Does Landfill Gas Capture Connect to Environmental Justice?

Landfills have historically been sited near lower-income communities and communities of color. That history makes equity central to this climate solution.

Garry emphasizes that landfill methane projects must be implemented through a strong environmental justice lens. That means community members should not simply be informed after decisions are made. They should be meaningfully engaged from the earliest planning stages through permitting, construction, and operation.

“Communities have to own these projects,” Garry says in the interview. Ownership, in this context, includes transparency, shared economic benefits, workforce opportunities, and accountability.

Garry also pointed to the Guidelines for Equitable Community Involvement in Building & Development Projects and Policies, co-authored with the NAACP, as a practical framework for ensuring that engagement is authentic rather than performative.

For policymakers, this approach strengthens trust, improves outcomes, and helps ensure that the benefits of emissions reduction are directed to the communities that need them most.

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Garry Harris is a contributor to recent research on landfill methane and would like to credit the National Environmental Justice Institute and its research teams at Atlanta Metropolitan State College for advancing this work. The team includes lead researcher Dr. Noel Whelchel, Dr. Gyuheui Choi, and Dr. Dwayne Brown.