Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to Landfill
Reviewed by Afonso Firmo, Co-Founder & Director · Updated 7 July 2026
Municipal solid waste to landfill: 1.6 t CO₂-e per tonne under NGA Factors 2025. Worked examples, FAQs and an interactive calculator for waste reporting.
Emission Factor Value
1.6 t CO₂-e/tonne
Try it with your own numbers
Estimated emissions
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Emissions from general waste you send to landfill are reported under Scope 3. Calculated as tonnes of MSW × 1.6 t CO₂-e per tonne (NGA Factors 2025). Cubic metres are converted at 0.36 tonnes per m³.
Official Source & Citation
This emission factor is sourced from the Australian National Greenhouse Accounts Factors 2025 , Table 16, 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 mixed municipal solid waste (general waste) to landfill, from the NGA Factors 2025 waste mix tables. Use this factor when general waste is not separated into streams. 1 tonne of MSW sent to landfill = 1.6 t CO₂-e. For volume records, apply 0.36 tonnes per cubic metre. The landfill operator reports the direct methane emissions under Scope 1.
Calculation Example
If your office building sent 85 tonnes of general waste to landfill during the year:
| Working | Result |
|---|---|
| 85 t × 1.6 t CO₂-e/t | 136 t CO₂-e (Scope 3) |
The general waste bin is where most organisations’ waste emissions hide. When mixed municipal solid waste goes to landfill, its food, paper and garden content decomposes anaerobically into methane, and the NGA Factors assign it a default rate of 1.6 t CO₂-e per tonne on your Scope 3 inventory.
This is the workhorse factor of Australian waste accounting: if you have one number from your waste contractor and no composition data, this is the factor you apply.
Quick Verdict
Mixed municipal solid 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 waste generator reports these emissions under Scope 3, while the landfill operator reports the direct methane under Scope 1. Use this factor for unseparated general waste; if you know the composition, stream-specific factors (food 2.1, paper 3.3, garden 1.6) are more accurate. Volume records convert at 0.36 tonnes per cubic metre. A Scope 3 emissions calculator can apply the factor automatically from contractor invoices.
How to Calculate Municipal Solid Waste Emissions
Emissions (t CO₂-e) = Waste to landfill (tonnes) × 1.6
Worked Example 1: Office building
A multi-tenant office building sends 85 tonnes of general waste to landfill over the year.
85 t × 1.6 = 136 t CO₂-e (Scope 3)
Worked Example 2: Shopping centre
A shopping centre disposes of 400 tonnes of mixed general waste to landfill during the reporting year.
400 t × 1.6 = 640 t CO₂-e (Scope 3)
Worked Example 3: Compactor volumes only
A facilities manager has compactor volumes only: 60 m³ of general waste. Using the NGA volume-to-mass factor of 0.36 t/m³:
60 m³ × 0.36 t/m³ = 21.6 t
21.6 t × 1.6 = 34.56 t CO₂-e (Scope 3)
MSW 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 |
| Municipal solid waste (mixed) | 1.6 |
| Commercial and industrial waste | 1.3 |
| Wood waste | 0.7 |
| Construction and demolition waste | 0.2 |
All factors from NGA Factors 2025, expressed in CO₂-equivalent. Inert materials — concrete, metals, plastics, glass — generate effectively no landfill methane and have no landfill emission factor.
NGER and AASB S2 Reporting
General waste to landfill is Scope 3 for the generator, so it sits outside NGER thresholds, which cover Scope 1 and 2 — but AASB S2 requires material Scope 3 categories to be disclosed, and waste is among the most commonly reported. Contractor invoices are your audit trail; apply the NGA Factors 2025 value consistently across reporting 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.