Garden and Green Waste to Landfill
Reviewed by Afonso Firmo, Co-Founder & Director · Updated 7 July 2026
Green waste sent to landfill carries a factor of 1.6 t CO₂-e per tonne under NGA Factors 2025. See worked examples, FAQs and a calculator for your reports.
Emission Factor Value
1.6 t CO₂-e/tonne
Try it with your own numbers
Estimated emissions
—
Emissions from waste you send to landfill are reported under Scope 3. Calculated as tonnes of garden and green waste × 1.6 t CO₂-e per tonne (NGA Factors 2025). Cubic metres are converted at 0.24 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 garden and green waste to landfill, from the NGA Factors 2025. Emissions arise from anaerobic decomposition producing methane. 1 tonne of garden and green waste sent to landfill = 1.6 t CO₂-e. For volume records, apply 0.24 tonnes per cubic metre. The landfill operator reports the direct methane emissions under Scope 1.
Calculation Example
If a grounds contractor sent 60 tonnes of green waste to landfill during the year:
| Working | Result |
|---|---|
| 60 t × 1.6 t CO₂-e/t | 96 t CO₂-e (Scope 3) |
Grass clippings and prunings feel carbon-neutral — they grew back last spring, after all. But send them to landfill and they decompose without oxygen, producing methane instead of compost. That is why garden and green waste carries a factor of 1.6 t CO₂-e per tonne on your Scope 3 inventory.
Councils, property managers, landscapers and campus operators generate this stream in bulk, and it is usually the easiest one to divert — which makes the number worth knowing.
Quick Verdict
Garden and green waste sent to landfill has an emission factor of 1.6 t CO₂-e per tonne under the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025, applying to the 2025–26 reporting year. The organisation that generates the waste reports it under Scope 3; the landfill operator reports the direct methane under Scope 1. Volume records convert at 0.24 tonnes per cubic metre. Composting the same material emits just 0.046 t CO₂-e per tonne, so diversion cuts this line by roughly 97%. A Scope 3 emissions calculator can apply the factor automatically from waste contractor data.
How to Calculate Garden and Green Waste Emissions
Emissions (t CO₂-e) = Waste to landfill (tonnes) × 1.6
Worked Example 1: Grounds maintenance contractor
A contractor maintaining council parks sends 60 tonnes of green waste to landfill over the year.
60 t × 1.6 = 96 t CO₂-e (Scope 3)
Worked Example 2: Landscaping business
A landscaping firm disposes of 15 tonnes of prunings and clippings to landfill.
15 t × 1.6 = 24 t CO₂-e (Scope 3)
Worked Example 3: Volume records only
A facilities team records 25 m³ of green waste sent to landfill. Using the NGA volume-to-mass factor of 0.24 t/m³:
25 m³ × 0.24 t/m³ = 6 t
6 t × 1.6 = 9.6 t CO₂-e (Scope 3)
Green 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, expressed in CO₂-equivalent.
NGER and AASB S2 Reporting
Because generator waste emissions are Scope 3, they sit outside NGER thresholds but inside AASB S2 disclosures, which require material Scope 3 categories to be reported. Keep contractor tonnage or volume records as your audit trail and apply the NGA Factors 2025 value consistently.
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.