Landfills rake record energy capture and investment – ABC

Biogas systems at landfills capture the landfill gases (LFG) that waste produces as it breaks down within the landfill. The biogas is then used to power and heat homes, fuel vehicles, and generate electricity.

As of August 2025, the United States (US) has 589 landfill biogas facilities in operation nationwide, an 18.5 percent increase since 2020.

In just over five years, more than 90 new facilities have been commissioned, boosting beneficial biogas capture capacity from landfills by 148 billion cubic feet (Bcf) to a total of 521 Bcf annually.

Developers added 56.3 Bcf of capacity in 2024 alone—the largest single-year increase on record, greater than the combined additions from 2019 through 2022.

Aligning with the growth in gas capture facilities, capital investment in new facilities exceeded US$1 billion per year in both 2023 and 2024.

Landfill biogas facilities are a smart way to create more beneficial energy for America and provide jobs in communities across the country. We expect growth in this sector to continue as more and more landfill owners seize the opportunity to utilize the gas produced from our waste for beneficial use, said Patrick Serfass, Executive Director at ABC.

Of the 92 landfill gas facilities that have opened since 2020, 77 upgrade their biogas to renewable natural gas (RNG), propelling RNG’s share of landfill gas output from 19 percent to 40 percent.

Today, landfill biogas systems can capture about 540.5 Bcf of RNG each year– enough energy to fuel 2.1 million passenger vehicles annually.

While RNG production from landfill biogas has grown rapidly, most of the captured landfill gas –  60 percent or about 312.5 Bcf ─ is still used for electricity generation.

The ABC’s state-by-state analysis of biogas production reveals that Pennsylvania (PA) leads in annual landfill gas capture capacity (56.6 Bcf/year) and hosts three of the nation’s 10 largest facilities.

California (CA) ranks first in the number of operating facilities (55) and first in total capital investment (US$1.4 billion), narrowly surpassing Pennsylvania (PA).

Texas (TX), Michigan (MI), and Illinois (IL) are also among the top contributors, with Illinois seeing the most new capacity come online from 2023 to 2025.

Despite the recent growth in landfill biogas capture, a significant opportunity remains to collect this energy from American landfills.

A 2024 report from the U.S. EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) identified 741 municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills that warrant the development of landfill biogas facilities.

Since that report, the ABC has identified 31 landfill gas capture facilities going into operation, with 27 more under construction and 79 in the planning stage.

Together, the sites under development and those identified for potential development could provide an additional 1.8 trillion cubic feet of biogas available for capture each year.