Waste Scope 1 (Direct — waste incineration)

Municipal Solid Waste Incineration

Reviewed by Afonso Firmo, Co-Founder & Director · Updated 7 July 2026

Incinerating municipal solid waste carries a factor of 0.0537 t CO₂-e per tonne under NGA Factors 2025. Worked examples, FAQs and a calculator for reports.

Emission Factor Value

0.0537 t CO₂-e/tonne

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Municipal solid waste incinerated Unit

Estimated emissions

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Emissions from waste incinerated in equipment you operate are reported under Scope 1. Calculated as tonnes of municipal solid waste × 0.0537 t CO₂-e per tonne (NGA Factors 2025).

Official Source & Citation

This emission factor is sourced from the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025 , Table 18 — Incineration of waste, 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

View official publication ↗

Notes

Scope 1 factor for organisations incinerating municipal solid waste, from the NGA Factors 2025 waste incineration tables. Emissions are the fossil-origin CO₂ released on combustion. The very low factor reflects that most carbon in municipal waste is biogenic — food, paper, garden material — and biogenic CO₂ is excluded and reported separately. 1 tonne of MSW incinerated = 0.0537 t CO₂-e, versus 1.6 t CO₂-e if the same tonne goes to landfill.

Calculation Example

If your energy-from-waste facility incinerated 10,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste during the year:

Working	Result
10,000 t × 0.0537 t CO₂-e/t	537 t CO₂-e (Scope 1)

Here is the counterintuitive number in the Australian waste tables: incinerating a tonne of municipal solid waste emits just 0.0537 t CO₂-e — about 30 times less than the 1.6 t CO₂-e the same tonne generates rotting in landfill. The factor is reported under Scope 1 by the incinerator or energy-from-waste operator.

The low number is not an accounting trick so much as a carbon-origin rule: most of what households throw away is food, paper and garden material, and the CO₂ from that biogenic carbon is excluded. Only the fossil fraction — chiefly plastics — counts toward the factor.

Quick Verdict

Municipal solid waste incineration has an emission factor of 0.0537 t CO₂-e per tonne under the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025, reported under Scope 1 by the organisation operating the incinerator or energy-from-waste plant. The factor applies to the 2025–26 Australian reporting year and counts only fossil-origin CO₂; the biogenic majority of municipal waste carbon is reported separately. It is the lowest incineration factor in the NGA tables and roughly 30 times below the 1.6 t CO₂-e per tonne landfill factor for the same waste stream, which avoids landfill methane entirely. A Scope 1 and 2 calculator can apply the factor directly from weighbridge records.

How to Calculate Municipal Waste Incineration Emissions

Emissions (t CO₂-e) = Municipal solid waste incinerated (tonnes) × 0.0537

Worked Example 1: Energy-from-waste plant

An energy-from-waste facility combusts 10,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste during the year.

10,000 t × 0.0537 = 537 t CO₂-e (Scope 1)

Worked Example 2: Regional incinerator

A regional plant incinerates 2,500 tonnes of municipal waste in the reporting year.

2,500 t × 0.0537 = 134.25 t CO₂-e (Scope 1)

Worked Example 3: Small facility

A small facility incinerates 400 tonnes of municipal solid waste.

400 t × 0.0537 = 21.48 t CO₂-e (Scope 1)

Municipal Waste vs Other Incinerated Streams

Waste stream (incinerated)	Factor (t CO₂-e/t)
Fossil liquid waste	2.931
Industrial waste	1.649
Clinical waste	0.879
Municipal solid waste	0.0537

All factors from NGA Factors 2025, expressed in CO₂-equivalent. For context, the same municipal waste sent to landfill carries a 1.6 t CO₂-e per tonne Scope 3 factor for the generator — the methane avoided is what makes energy-from-waste comparatively low-emission.

NGER and AASB S2 Reporting

Fossil CO₂ from incineration is Scope 1 for the operator and counts toward NGER facility and corporate thresholds, with biogenic CO₂ reported separately. Under AASB S2 climate disclosures, operators report the factor within Scope 1, and councils diverting waste from landfill to energy-from-waste can evidence the change in their Scope 3 waste line. Keep weighbridge records as the audit trail and apply the NGA Factors 2025 value consistently across periods.

Municipal Solid Waste (Landfill)

1.6 t CO₂-e/tonne

Clinical Waste (Incineration)

0.879 t CO₂-e/tonne

Industrial Waste (Incineration)

1.649 t CO₂-e/tonne

Fossil Liquid Waste (Incineration)

2.931 t CO₂-e/tonne

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the emission factor for incinerating municipal solid waste in Australia?

Municipal solid waste incineration has an emission factor of 0.0537 t CO₂-e per tonne under the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025. It is by far the lowest incineration factor in the NGA tables, because most of the carbon in municipal waste is biogenic and excluded from the count.

Is municipal waste incineration Scope 1 or Scope 3?

It is Scope 1 for the organisation operating the incinerator or energy-from-waste plant. Councils and businesses whose waste is incinerated by a third party do not apply this factor directly — the plant operator reports the emissions.

Why is the municipal incineration factor so much lower than other incineration factors?

Because the factor counts only fossil-origin CO₂. Municipal waste is dominated by biogenic materials — food, paper, garden organics and wood — whose CO₂ is reported separately as biogenic. Only the fossil fraction, mainly plastics and synthetic textiles, contributes to the 0.0537 t CO₂-e per tonne.

How does incinerating municipal waste compare with landfilling it?

Incineration emits 0.0537 t CO₂-e per tonne, while the same tonne of municipal solid waste in landfill carries a factor of 1.6 t CO₂-e — roughly 30 times more. The landfill figure is driven by methane from anaerobic decomposition, which incineration avoids entirely.

How do I measure how much municipal waste is incinerated?

Use weighbridge records at the plant gate showing tonnes of municipal solid waste received and combusted in the reporting year, then multiply by 0.0537 t CO₂-e per tonne. Energy-from-waste facilities typically weigh all incoming loads.

Does electricity generated by an energy-from-waste plant change the accounting?

The incineration factor still applies to the waste combusted, reported as Scope 1 by the operator. Electricity exported to the grid is accounted separately, and purchasers of that electricity apply the relevant Scope 2 factors — the waste factor is not netted off against generation.

Do municipal incineration emissions count under NGER or AASB S2?

Yes. For operators, the fossil CO₂ is Scope 1 and counts toward NGER facility and corporate thresholds, with biogenic CO₂ reported separately. Under AASB S2, the emissions form part of the operator's Scope 1 inventory.

Where does the 0.0537 t CO₂-e per tonne factor come from?

It is published in the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025 by DCCEEW, in the waste incineration tables. It is derived from the default carbon content of municipal solid waste and its small fossil-carbon share, converted to CO₂ released per tonne combusted.

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.

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