Food Waste to Landfill
Reviewed by Afonso Firmo, Co-Founder & Director · Updated 7 July 2026
Food waste sent to landfill carries a factor of 2.1 t CO₂-e per tonne under NGA Factors 2025. See worked examples, FAQs and a calculator for your reports.
Emission Factor Value
2.1 t CO₂-e/tonne
Try it with your own numbers
Estimated emissions
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Emissions from waste you send to landfill are reported under Scope 3. Calculated as tonnes of food waste × 2.1 t CO₂-e per tonne (NGA Factors 2025). Cubic metres are converted at 0.5 tonnes per m³.
Official Source & Citation
This emission factor is sourced from the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025 , Table 15 — Waste mix methane conversion and emission factors, published by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
Citation: DCCEEW (2025). Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025. Commonwealth of Australia. Available at: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/climate-change/publications/national-greenhouse-accounts-factors-2025
Notes
Scope 3 factor for organisations sending food waste to landfill, from the NGA Factors 2025. Emissions arise from anaerobic decomposition producing methane. 1 tonne of food waste sent to landfill = 2.1 t CO₂-e. For volume records, apply 0.5 tonnes per cubic metre. The landfill operator reports the direct methane emissions under Scope 1.
Calculation Example
If your café sent 3.5 tonnes of food waste to landfill during the year:
| Working | Result |
|---|---|
| 3.5 t × 2.1 t CO₂-e/t | 7.35 t CO₂-e (Scope 3) |
Every tonne of food scraps that leaves your loading dock for landfill keeps emitting for years after the truck drives away. Buried food decomposes anaerobically and produces methane, which is why food waste lands on your Scope 3 inventory at a hefty 2.1 tonnes of CO₂-e per tonne of waste.
For cafés, hotels, food manufacturers and anyone running staff kitchens, food waste is often the single largest line in the waste category — and one of the easiest to shrink once you can see the number.
Quick Verdict
Food waste sent to landfill has an emission factor of 2.1 t CO₂-e per tonne under the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025. Organisations that generate the waste report these emissions under Scope 3, while the landfill operator reports the direct methane under Scope 1. The factor applies to the 2025–26 Australian reporting year and is one of the highest among common waste streams, reflecting how readily food decomposes into methane. If you only have volume data, the NGA volume-to-mass factor for food waste is 0.5 tonnes per cubic metre. Tools like a Scope 3 emissions calculator can apply the factor automatically from contractor invoices.
How to Calculate Food Waste Emissions
Emissions (t CO₂-e) = Waste to landfill (tonnes) × 2.1
Worked Example 1: Café
A café sends 3.5 tonnes of food waste to landfill over the year, based on contractor weight records.
3.5 t × 2.1 = 7.35 t CO₂-e (Scope 3)
Worked Example 2: Hotel kitchen
A hotel’s kitchens generate 12 tonnes of food waste for landfill during the reporting year.
12 t × 2.1 = 25.2 t CO₂-e (Scope 3)
Worked Example 3: Volume records only
A food manufacturer only has bin volumes: 20 m³ of food waste collected for landfill. Using the NGA volume-to-mass factor of 0.5 t/m³:
20 m³ × 0.5 t/m³ = 10 t
10 t × 2.1 = 21 t CO₂-e (Scope 3)
Food Waste vs Other Landfill Streams
| Waste stream (to landfill) | Factor (t CO₂-e/t) |
|---|---|
| Paper and cardboard | 3.3 |
| Food waste | 2.1 |
| Textiles | 2.0 |
| Garden and green waste | 1.6 |
| Municipal solid waste (mixed) | 1.6 |
| Wood waste | 0.7 |
| Construction and demolition waste | 0.2 |
All factors from NGA Factors 2025. Composting the same tonne of food waste emits only 0.046 t CO₂-e — a roughly 98% reduction on landfilling it, measured in CO₂-equivalent terms.
NGER and AASB S2 Reporting
Waste sent to landfill is a Scope 3 category for the generator, so it sits outside NGER facility thresholds but squarely inside AASB S2 climate disclosures, which require material Scope 3 emissions to be reported. Keep contractor weight records as your audit trail and apply the NGA Factors 2025 value consistently across periods.
Related Emission Factors
Frequently Asked Questions
Disclaimer
This page is provided for general information, not professional or compliance advice. The factor shown is reproduced from the official publication cited above, and while we work to keep it current, government factors change — the publication is always the authoritative source.
- Before using this value in any formal reporting — including under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 — confirm it against the current official publication and the methods specified by the Clean Energy Regulator.
- NetNada is independent of the Australian Government, DCCEEW, and the Clean Energy Regulator. Government data is Crown copyright, Commonwealth of Australia.