What is Landfill Carbon Sequestration?
When biogenic materials are placed in landfills, the carbon in these materials is removed from the atmosphere. Landfill carbon stocks increase over time because much of the organic matter placed in landfills does not decompose, especially if the landfill is located in an arid area. However, not all carbon in landfills is counted in determining the extent to which landfills are carbon stocks. For example, the analysis does not count plastic in landfills toward carbon storage. Plastic in a landfill represents simply a transfer from one carbon stock (the oil field containing the petroleum or natural gas from which the plastic was made) to another carbon stock (the landfill); thus, no change has occurred in the overall amount of carbon stored. On the other hand, the portion of organic matter (such as yard trimmings) that does not decompose in a landfill represents an addition to a carbon stock, because it would have largely decomposed into CO2 if left to decay in the environment.
