Carbon Credits from Landfills

Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) are an essential pathway to achieving net zero, but not all ACCUs are created equal.

One ACCU is generated for each tonne of carbon emission stored or avoided above a baseline from approved projects. In some cases, this can be difficult to measure and there can be risks of stored emissions returning to the atmosphere (think bushfire).

In other words, some ACCUs may not represent permanent and additional emissions reduction. 

At LGI, we create ACCUs which are accurately measurable and represent permanent, irreversible carbon abatement.

Active Landfill Gas Extraction – the capture and combustion of landfill-produced methane (a greenhouse gas 28 times more harmful than carbon dioxide) converted into carbon dioxide and water.

You can’t unburn methane, so this process reduces greenhouse effects by 96 per cent – immediately and irreversibly with a list of benefits as long as a clear blue sky.

DCCEEW process of implementing reforms to the ACCU Scheme

LGI’s Public Submission to DCCEEW

LGI has been actively involved in the process by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) of implementing reforms to the ACCU Scheme, recommended by the 2022 Independent Review of ACCUs (aka Chubb Review). This has included Dr Jessica North, our Chief Sustainability Officer and an LGI Director being on DCCEEW’s Technical Working Group to help advise on implementation of reforms to the landfill gas methodology.

This lengthy process, is nearing completion with the new proposed method for ACCUs from landfill gas (LFG) being released for public consultation. LGI supports the new proposed method as a way to continue improving the integrity of ACCUs from LFG and to enable more genuine, additional abatement of LFG methane. We also welcome the addition of a mechanism to assist both flaring-only projects and smaller, regional projects. We look forward to a timely implementation of the new method to provide the certainty, which has been absent during this review – especially for continuing investment in smaller and regional LFG abatement projects.

To enable practical implementation of the method, we suggested some operational improvements for measurement and to facilitate a smooth transition of projects to the new method. We are also seeking more clarity regarding Safeguard LFG projects and have emphasized that we do not agree with landfills being included in the Safeguard Mechanism as an effective policy to reduce LFG emissions.

We are strong advocates of transparency to underpin integrity for ACCUs. To that end, our submission to the public consultation process is available here.