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Shang et al. Carbon Footprints 2025, 4, 24 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/cf.2025.28 Page 15 of 18

Although the inflow of new landfill waste is declining, existing landfills remain a major source of methane
emissions and will continue to require strong policy attention over the next five years. Meanwhile, methane
emissions from urban wastewater treatment are increasing annually. However, with China accelerating its
policies on wastewater treatment and resource recovery, wastewater - particularly industrial wastewater -
offers significant potential for methane utilization. To accelerate methane capture and use, government
departments could consider introducing additional economic instruments, such as preferential pricing or
tax exemptions. Since agricultural planting and livestock farming are now the dominant and growing
sources of methane emissions, the agricultural sector should be encouraged to develop efficient methane
treatment and utilization technologies, such as high-solid anaerobic digestion and advanced purification
systems. Stronger regulation and oversight of large-scale livestock farms are also needed to improve manure
collection and treatment. At the same time, active investment in research and development of methane
control technologies for rice paddies will be important to reduce off-field emissions.

From a regional perspective, methane emissions are concentrated in agricultural zones and densely
populated areas. Therefore, incorporating waste management and methane reduction measures into
regional strategies - such as high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin and green development in
the Yangtze River Economic Belt - would be highly beneficial. In addition, large-scale, centralized solid
[52]
waste disposal centers should be established near megacities . These facilities could serve as integrated
platforms for managing municipal solid waste, sewage, agricultural residues, and livestock manure, enabling
large-scale methane reduction and centralized resource utilization. Such initiatives would provide robust
support for China's proactive efforts to address climate change and control non-CO gas emissions.
2

CONCLUSION
This study developed a methane emissions accounting model covering the main sources of waste generation
in both urban and rural settings and conducted a quantitative analysis of methane emissions from waste
sectors and regions in China between 2018 and 2022. By incorporating China's key methane control policies
and actions, three scenarios were designed to evaluate the potential for emission reductions between 2025
and 2030. The results show that total methane emissions from waste in China declined by 27.8% in 2022
compared with 2018, with urban waste contributing most to this reduction. However, emissions from
agricultural waste, particularly livestock and poultry farming, remain substantial and cannot be ignored.
Methane emissions are mainly concentrated in densely populated regions and areas with intensive
agricultural activity, especially along the Yangtze River and Yellow River economic corridors. Policies on
agricultural emission reduction and carbon sequestration have made the greatest contribution to waste-
related methane reductions, and future initiatives in this area should be strengthened. Overall, this study
provides new insights into the sources, pathways, and future trends of methane emissions in the waste
sector, offering evidence-based guidance for governments to design effective control strategies, maximize
mitigation benefits, and minimize greenhouse gas abatement costs.

DECLARATIONS
Authors’ contributions
Methodology, data collection and analysis, writing - original draft: Shang, H.
Conceptualization, writing - review & editing, project administration, supervision, funding acquisition:
Meng, F.
Methodology, data collection, writing - review & editing: Hou, J.
Data collection, writing - original draft: Song, Z.
Writing - review & editing: Zhang, X.