Chatham County solid‑waste staff on Wednesday told the Climate Change Advisory Committee and county commissioners that reducing landfill methane and vehicle miles driven by waste hauling are the most direct, local levers to cut greenhouse gases.

Kevin Lindley, speaking for Chatham County solid‑waste operations, said the county’s most recent greenhouse‑gas inventory for 2024 shows roughly 90 percent of county emissions come from transportation and energy use, but that the solid‑waste sector is important because landfill methane has a disproportionate climate impact. "Landfill gas is by far our most impactful," Lindley said, noting methane is typically converted to carbon‑dioxide‑equivalents using a factor "between 25 and 30" times CO2.

Lindley outlined several ongoing and pilot programs the county is using to reduce emissions and diversion to landfills: an expansion of food‑waste collection at four collection centers for residential food scraps, a composting pathway that routes collected organics to a commercial composting facility, recycling compaction to reduce haul trips, separate glass collection to improve recycling revenue, eleven household hazardous‑waste events each year, and a volunteer waste‑education program the county calls the "waste recycling enthusiasts." He said the county operates 12 collection centers and compacts recycling at a main facility to reduce transport costs.

Lindley also described how the greenhouse‑gas model allocates emissions: the model attributes decomposition‑related emissions to the year material is deposited even though actual methane release is spread over 15–20 years. That accounting choice can make a single year’s GHG total look larger than the near‑term operational reality, he said.

The presentation included data on recent tonnage: Lindley said about "126,433 tons" were sent from Chatham in July 2023–24 and that a single excavation project (a former industrial site in Moncure) accounted for a substantial portion of the unexpected increase. He told commissioners the spike likely reflects an extraordinary soil/spoil disposal stream rather than a structural change in household waste generation.

Commissioners pressed staff about capture at Chatham’s closed landfill; Lindley said the facility was closed in the 1990s and no methane capture system was installed because it was not required at the time and present emissions are likely at a late‑stage "tail" that may not justify retrofitting capture wells now. He added the county can still increase diversion programs (food‑waste, composting, curbside education) to reduce future methane generation.

Next steps identified by staff included tracking pilot results, evaluating whether additional household hazardous‑waste or continuous collection options are warranted, and exploring compactors and transfer‑station configurations that reduce truck miles.