DRAFT Recommendations from the Workshop on Inventories and
Projections
of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Waste
Working Groups I (Inventories) and II (Projections)
of the EU Climate Change Committee
2-3 May 2005
EEA, Copenhagen
The participants of the workshop on Inventories and Projections of Greenhouse Gas
Emissions from Waste which was held from 2-3 May at EEA in Copenhagen agreed on the
following draft recommendations that will be submitted to the Climate Change Committee
and the IPPC Article 19 EPER Committee:
I. Recommendations related to estimation and reporting of GHG emissions
from the waste sector for Inventories under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto
Protocol 1
1. Recommendations related to inventory methods
General
1

Member States should aim to improve completeness of estimation of all source
categories and all greenhouse gases for the waste sector.

First order decay models should preferably be used for the estimation of CH4
emissions from solid waste disposal, either for greenhouse gas inventories as well as
for other purposes such as the estimation of emissions for EPER (European Pollutants
Emission Registry; see below for specific EPER recommendations).

Member States are encouraged to validate first order decay models and the parameters
used through studies and direct measurements of emissions at waste disposal sites.

Coordination and exchange of information between national experts within a Member
State reporting on emissions of waste or waste data under different reporting
obligations (UNFCCC, EPER, Council Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste
(Landfill Directive), Waste Statistics Regulation (Regulation No. 2150/2002) is
strongly encouraged in order to achieve consistent reporting.

There is a need for further clarity of information flows under the Landfill Directive.

Member States’ national experts on GHG emissions from waste are encouraged to
contribute to the IPCC process for the development of 2006 IPCC Guidelines for
national GHG inventories and to provide relevant national materials, studies
containing measurements or parameters.
These also apply to the estimating and reporting of GHG emissions from the waste sector for inventories under
the EU Council Decision (280/2004/EC) concerning a mechanism for monitoring Community greenhouse
gas emissions and for implementing the Kyoto Protocol.

Member States are encouraged to make their studies of GHG emissions from the
waste sector, in particular studies including measurements, available to other Member
States (using the relevant websites e.g. ETC/ACC
at http://airclimate.eionet.eu.int/meetings/past_html)
Emissions from changed waste management practices

Member States’ inventories should reflect changes in waste management practices,
during the reporting period, and include emissions from such practices that recently
gained their share such as separate collection of paper for recycling, composting,
mechanical biological treatment or biogas from anaerobic digestion 2 where relevant.
Member States that are developing country-specific parameters for these activities are
encouraged to share those with other countries. Emissions from composting should be
reported in a UNFCCC Common Reporting Format (CRF) category where they are
clearly identifiable, e.g. under category 6.D Other.

Composting is an intermediate waste treatment technology, which means GHG
emissions occur during composting and afterwards, either from use of compost in
agriculture or from compost that was landfilled. Therefore, in the estimation of
emissions from composting, two different types of composts may be distinguished:

The first category is high-quality compost from clean, separately collected organic
waste. This compost is typically used as fertiliser.

The second category of compost is low-quality compost, made from mixed or
residual waste which is being composted for the stabilization of organic matter in
e.g. MBT plants (Mechanical-Biologial Treatment). This compost is typically
landfilled or used for landscape restoration.
2. Recommendations related to activity data
2

Member States should clearly describe which waste types are included in their
estimation of emissions from solid waste disposal, and in particular whether industrial
waste, sludge and biodegradable construction and demolition waste are also included.

Member States are encouraged to check consistency of definitions used for municipal
solid waste and other waste types for the GHG inventory with the definitions used
under the Waste Statistics Regulation (Regulation No. 2150/2002) in order to be
aware of differences (Eurostat could add relevant web-sites with background
materials they referred to during the workshop).

The reporting under the EU Landfill Directive (Directive 1999/31/EC) will offer a
number of opportunities for collecting additional activity data, e.g. on number of
landfills and CH4 recovery, and using these data for preparing GHG inventories.
Emissions from biogas combustion should be reported in the CRF energy sector of the UNFCCC
inventory.
2

Member States are encouraged to check consistency of reporting between the energy
sector and the waste sector with regard to the energy use of landfill gas and CH4
recovered from anaerobic digestion processes of biowaste and sludge.

Member States are encouraged to use data of good quality on the share of aerobic and
anaerobic treatment which is essential for the estimation of emissions from wastewater
handling.

Member States should check the consistency of the use of units in activity data
statistics, e.g. whether wet or dry matter is reported in the statistics and should check
whether the parameters are provided in the same units.
3. Recommendations related to estimation parameters
MCF – Methane correction factor

Member States are encouraged to clarify and document the use of the MCF in the
estimation and should avoid underestimation of emissions using an MCF<1 for
unmanaged landfills for managed landfills or for landfills that may operate under
similar conditions as managed landfills (e.g. depth of landfill).
DOC

More work on comparison of DOC values used among countries should be provided.
The ETC-ACC should continue with such work and report under WG1 with the aim to
get further clarity about typical DOC ranges occurring in the EU.

MS are encouraged to use specific DOC values for the main different components of
waste (paper, textile, wood etc.) and based on these and on the composition of the
landfilled waste, determine an overall value for the mixed waste.

MS are encouraged to further investigate how average DOC values in waste deposits
develop over time with changing waste management practices, e.g. increased paper
recycling.
CH4 generation rate constant k and half-life

Some Member States use differentiated half-lifes for different types of wastes or types
of landfills. Such multi-phase methods are able to better reflect particular conditions
than a general k value for the entire country, and have shown to improve accuracy
when compared with CH4 measurements. MS are encouraged to differentiate k values
dependent on different components of wastes.

Member States with high k values and very short half-lifes should check the
underlying reasons of such values and provide sufficient documentation justifying the
use of high k values and very short half-lifes at the national level.

More work on comparison of k values and half-lifes used among countries should be
provided. The ETC-ACC should continue with such work and report under WG1 with
the aim to get further clarity about typical DOC ranges occurring in the EU.
CH4 recovery

It was stressed that according to IPCC good practice guidance, reporting of CH 4
recovered from landfills should be based on measurements.
3

ETC-ACC should further compare the methods and estimates from MS for the
estimation of CH4 recovery in order to derive further recommendations for
improvements.
4. Recommendations related to EPER data from landfills

Member States are encouraged to investigate the differences between top-down (e.g.
inventory) and bottom-up approaches (e.g. EPER) for the estimation of CH4 emissions
from landfills and to reduce any significant differences that occur between both
approaches.

At national level, it is essential to improve the information on the methodologies used
at site level for the estimation of CH4 emissions from landfills recorded in EPER and
to improve the communication and coordination with site operators, national and local
authorities.

Member States are encouraged to perform more measurements in order to validate the
models and parameters used for CH4 emissions from individual landfills with typical
characteristics.

There is a need for discussion on the type of guidance needed on national and
European level in order to achieve more transparent reporting on emissions reported
under the future European PRTR.

Member States could consider using EU funding under the 6th and 7th framework
programme for measurement programmes and validation of models used for the
estimation of CH4 emissions from landfills.
II. Recommendations related to the projection of GHG emissions from the
waste sector

Member States should ensure consistency in methods and parameters used for GHG
inventories and projections for CH4 emissions from solid waste disposal. The FOD
models used for the inventory estimation could be used to extrapolate emissions in the
future.

Member States should ensure that the impacts of measures implemented in the waste
sector on other sectors (in particular energy) are taken into account.

Member States are recommended to perform sensitivity analysis and uncertainty
analysis regarding important parameters (DOC, k, etc.) for both inventory estimation
and projections.

MS should transparently report their main assumptions used for projections in the
waste sector, such as the parameters outlined in the EU Council Decision
(280/2004/EC) implementing provisions (Waste generation per head of population or
tonnes of municipal solid waste, organic fractions of municipal solid waste, Municipal
solid waste disposed to landfills, incinerated or composted) as well as additional key
national parameters used.
4

The status (e.g. existing or planned) of the policies and measures included in the
scenarios (e.g. increased incineration, increased composting, increased paper and
wood recycling) should be described as well as their quantitative effects on the
emissions as far as possible.

There is a need for further comparison of EU-wide projections with national
projections.
5