Two U.S. Landfills Make the List of World’s Biggest Methane Emitters
The UCLA Emmett Institute’s STOP Methane Project recently published a sobering list of the world’s 25 largest methane plumes in 2025 so far, as identified by Carbon Mapper’s aerial and satellite surveys. If you can see the methane plume from space, it’s extremely large — and these are the largest.
After analyzing large methane events over 600 landfills and dumps across the globe, UCLA found that two of the largest methane plumes in the whole world are over landfills right here in the United States: the Fort Bend Regional Landfill in Needville, Texas and the River Birch Landfill in Avondale, Louisiana.
Of course, these 2 U.S. landfills are far from the only ones spewing huge clouds of invisible methane into the air, but they do serve as valuable examples of just how broken our waste management system is, and why landfill pollution is much more than a climate problem. Read on for more about the impact of both landfills on the communities that surround them:
Fort Bend Regional Landfill, Texas:
The Fort Bend Regional Landfill, in Needville, SE Texas south of Houston, serves a surrounding area of more than 19,000 people in a 5-mile radius, 59 percent of whom are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). While it ranks second in Texas for estimated methane emissions reported by the landfill — emitting the equivalent of nearly 295,000 gas-powered cars each year — its true climate impact is likely much larger. Since 2023, Carbon Mapper has detected 15 separate large methane plumes. And the environmental burden doesn’t stop there; residents living near the landfill face severe air quality concerns, ranking in the 90th percentile statewide for exposure to fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, meaning increased risk of respiratory and heart disease.
Methane plume observed over the Fort Bend Regional Landfill on July 29, 2025
River Birch Landfill, Louisiana:
The River Birch Landfill in Waggaman, Jefferson Parish in Louisiana affects a large population of over 112,000 people within five miles, 44 percent of whom are BIPOC. The community skews older and lower-income, making residents especially vulnerable to health impacts.
Local resident Gilda captures the daily reality: "We have been living a total nightmare, unable to have any kind of life enjoyment. We cannot entertain or even sit outside because of the horrible, toxic-smelling gases and stench of rotting garbage that consumes our home on a daily basis. It is relentless, and you cannot escape it! We have real fears and concerns regarding our family's quality of life, and are now very symptomatic from breathing the toxic gas emissions from the landfill for over 4 years!"
The community surrounding River Birch faces some of the highest toxic exposure levels in the country, including mercury, lead, and formaldehyde. This isn't coincidental — landfills are frequently sited in communities already shouldering disproportionate environmental burdens. Residents near River Birch also contend with nearby toxic Superfund sites and chemical facilities, creating a toxic cocktail of pollution.
Methane plume observed over the River Birch Landfill on April 17, 2025
When methane escapes into the atmosphere, it carries toxic co-pollutants that devastate the health of nearby communities. These chemicals are linked to asthma, COPD, coronary heart disease, and cancer.
Technology like Carbon Mapper’s is vital to improving our understanding of where methane is coming from, and how much. It makes previously invisible pollution not just visible, but actionable, empowering landfill operators to stop it at the source. Unfortunately, despite the availability and cost-effectiveness of modern methane detection tools like drones and fixed sensors, landfills across the country are relying on ineffective, outdated practices that let huge amounts of methane go unchecked. Many of the country’s 2,600 municipal solid waste landfills are only required to conduct manual surface emissions monitoring four times a year. This involves a person walking the surface of the landfill with a handheld monitor, often skipping huge sections entirely. Many others aren’t required to monitor for emissions at all.
It’s also important to remember that information is only valuable if we act on it. Right now, there are no federal regulations that require landfills to do anything about these huge methane plumes, even after being made aware of them. If a fire department received reports of smoke billowing out of windows, there’s no question that they should be required to respond. Why are large plumes of highly potent greenhouse gas treated differently?
We have the tools and knowledge to slash landfill emissions in half by 2050. What we need now is the political will to implement them. Doing so would press an emergency brake on climate change, while protecting communities like Needville and Waggaman from ongoing harm. The question isn’t whether we can solve this problem — it’s whether legislators and regulators will make it the urgent priority it needs to be.
