072346 Estimation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

WASTE Estimation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Gatineau, Quebec

Project Summary

Estimation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Gatineau, Quebec

Key Project Elements  Methane Emissions  Landfills  Incinerators  National Inventory Report

Environment Canada's Greenhouse Gas Division retained CRA in the autumn of 2010 to complete three tasks to address methodological issues related to solid waste in Canada's National Inventory Report (NIR) submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The NIR is an annual submission required under the Kyoto Protocol. The study included research and modeling elements.

For the first task, CRA developed a unique methodology based on real statistical-data to determine the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from unmanaged municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills and updated the emissions estimates presented in the NIR. For the second task, CRA developed and recommended an improved relationship that estimates the effect of precipitation on MSW landfill GHG emissions, based on rigorous comparison of existing models and data sets. For the third task, CRA confirmed the negligibility of methane emissions from MSW incinerators, through the application of subscription-accessed emission factors and comprehensive literature review.

CRA completed the project tasks on budget and in a timely manner. The project team communicated with Environment Canada effectively to ensure that all comments and feedback were addressed and incorporated into the final deliverable.

Ref: 072346