Leaders debate- Gas capture in landfills is a missed energy supply opportunity
Position Statement
September 2026
Last night at the GasNZ Leaders Forum, a Cabinet Minister and an MP both defended sending organic waste to landfill, on the grounds that landfills capture 95% of the gas they produce.
The Bioenergy Association says that “gas capture in landfills is an outdated view on energy supply. At a time when diminishing supplys of natural gas are increasing energy costs to businesses then we should be encouraging organic waste to be recycled into biogas and biomethane using the most efficient technology - anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion of organics addresses four community needs – extracting value from waste, producing energy and biofertiliser, reducing the need for landfills, optimising greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Disposing organic waste into landfills should only be used for organic material which can’t be recycled.”
The Bioenergy Association Executive Officer, Brian Cox, says that “supporting landfills is misguided and a Minister should know the facts better.”