Dell: Plastic Prevents Organic Waste Decomposition in Landfills, Causing Methane Emissions
Rebecca Dell · The many pathways to decarbonizing chemicals · Jan 24, 2022 · at 55:26
Rebecca Dell of ClimateWorks Foundation explains why landfilling plastic is not climate neutral.
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“What we actually do is we mix the plastic in with organic waste and put that in the landfill, and because there's all this plastic mixed in with the organic waste doesn't have any access to oxygen, and so it decomposes anaerobically and emits all of its carbon as methane instead of as CO₂, which is what it would emit if it were composted properly. And for every atom of carbon that comes out as methane instead of CO₂, It's between 30 and 80 times more climate damaging than if it had been composted properly.”
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