According to a recent inventory, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported a 1 percent increase in overall greenhouse gas emissions in 2005 compared to the previous year. The waste industry accounted for just more than 2 percent of the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and landfills accounted for nearly 24 percent of all methane emissions.

For more information about the inventory, visit http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html.