Description
When we talk about greenhouse gas emissions in the waste industry, the focus is often on Scope 1 – direct emissions from landfills and fleets – and occasionally on Scope 2, from purchased electricity.
But there’s a bigger, often overlooked component: Scope 3. Scope 3 emissions capture the indirect impacts across a company’s value chain — suppliers, vendors, downstream partners, and even employee commuting.
EREF’s latest research found that, across seven major U.S. waste companies:
- Scope 1 dominates, averaging 80% of total emissions.
- Scope 2 is minimal, about 1%.
- Scope 3 averages 19%, and reaches 36% for companies without landfill assets.
Yet, Scope 3 reporting remains inconsistent and data quality is limited. Improving these methods isn’t just an accounting exercise — it’s essential for credible ESG reporting and regulatory readiness.
Learn more and read the full report here.
View the Project Trailer here.
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