Landfill Methane Regulations · SOR/2025-279
Turn landfill methane compliance into a revenue stream
Canada's federal landfill methane controls begin in 2028. Flaring meets the rules but earns nothing. McAlpha's modular CMR platform converts your recovered landfill gas into saleable low-carbon fuels.
What the regulations require
Canada's Landfill Methane Regulations in plain language
Made under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and registered on December 12, 2025, the Regulations set performance-based limits for landfills that receive municipal solid waste. The Government of Canada expects them to cut landfill methane by about 50% below 2019 levels by 2035.
Which landfills are covered
Landfills that received municipal solid waste after January 1, 2010 and hold more than 450,000 tonnes of it, or that take in more than 20,000 tonnes a year (from 2025) and hold more than 200,000 tonnes.
Annual methane assessment
By June 1 each year, owners calculate the previous year's methane generation with the federal modelling tool and report it, with site, waste and gas-system details.
Control thresholds
Methane controls apply at 1,000 tonnes of methane a year or more (from 2028 or 2029), and at 664 to 1,000 tonnes a year for open landfills (from 2035).
No venting; destroy or use
Venting is prohibited. All recovered landfill gas must go to a flare, an energy recovery device, a treatment system that processes it for sale or use, or another device with at least 98% methane destruction efficiency.
Wells, leaks and surface limits
Monthly recovery-well monitoring; leak checks three times a year (leaks at 500 ppmv or more); surface methane below 500 ppmv and zone averages below 25 ppmv, checked three times a year.
Records and annual report
Gas flow measured at least every 15 minutes and methane concentration at least monthly for each destruction device, with records kept and an annual report filed by June 1.
This is a summary for information only, not legal advice. Read the full text of the Landfill Methane Regulations (SOR/2025-279) and confirm obligations with Environment and Climate Change Canada or your advisers.
Self-check
Is your landfill covered, and when?
Answer five questions for an indicative view based on sections 3 to 5 of the Regulations. Your figures stay in your browser.
Your options
Flare it, burn it for power, or turn it into product
Every compliant pathway destroys or uses the methane. They differ in what you get back, especially as federal offset credits for regulated landfills wind down.
| Pathway | Flaring | Power, heat or RNG | McAlpha CMR Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulatory route (s. 8(1)) | Enclosed or open flare | Energy recovery device, or treatment system for sale or use | Treatment system that processes landfill gas for sale or use; tail gas to a flare or thermal oxidizer |
| Revenue | Little or none | Electricity, heat or biomethane sales; needs grid or pipeline access | Saleable liquid fuels and chemical intermediates that can be stored and trucked |
| Uses the CO₂ in landfill gas | No | No; CO₂ is removed and released | Yes; CO₂ reacts with methane in dry reforming |
| Site fit | Any site | Best near grid or gas pipeline | Modular skids for remote or mid-size sites |
Pathway eligibility is set by section 8 of SOR/2025-279. Each installation should be confirmed with the regulator and site engineers.
The McAlpha CMR solution
How CMR turns landfill gas into low-carbon fuel
The Catalytic Membrane Reactor (CMR) platform combines catalysis and separation in one modular unit. It uses both the methane and the CO₂ in landfill gas.
Condition the gas
Removes hydrogen sulphide, siloxanes and moisture to protect the catalysts.
Make syngas
CMR-1 combines partial oxidation with dry reforming, so methane and CO₂ both become hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
Build liquid fuel
CMR-2 uses Fischer-Tropsch catalysis to turn syngas into C5+ paraffinic liquid hydrocarbons.
Separate and close the loop
Liquids, water and light gas are separated. Tail gas is recycled, used as fuel or sent to a flare or thermal oxidizer.
One platform, several product routes
The landfill pilot focuses on C5+ liquids. The same platform can be configured for other products to suit local markets.
Why landfill owners talk to us
Compliance first, value second, and both from the same gas
Your gas collection system, monitoring and reporting still do the compliance work. CMR adds a way to earn from the gas you are now required to recover.
Revenue after offsets end
Regulated landfills lose access to new federal landfill-gas offset credits, most from 2029. Product sales help recover the cost of gas collection.
Built for mid-size and remote sites
Skid-mounted modules sit near the gas source and scale by adding units. You don't need a grid connection or gas pipeline.
Measured, reportable performance
Metered feed, product, tail gas and carbon balance support the flow and concentration records the Regulations require.
Uses methane and CO₂
Dry reforming converts both main components of landfill gas. That improves carbon efficiency compared with routes that vent the CO₂.
Integrity and monitoring support
Our pipeline leak detection, methane emission monitoring and data management teams can support your monitoring program.
Flexible ownership
Equipment sale, build-own-operate, joint venture, service or licensing, matched to your capital plan.
Evidence
From proven pilot to an Alberta landfill demonstration
We separate what has been measured from what is targeted.
Liquid produced over about 600 hours at the Wilton integrated pilot, at about 1–3 barrels per day.
Methane-to-syngas conversion recorded at Wilton.
Methane conversion in the improved configuration, bench-tested.
C5+ design target for the proposed demonstration at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre, moving from TRL 6 to TRL 8.
Targets are subject to field validation. Commercial modules are expected at 1–5 MMSCFD scale, subject to pilot results and FEED.
How we work with landfill owners
Four steps from data to deployment
Screen
Share your methane generation estimate, gas composition and flow. We assess fit and the best product route.
Feasibility
Mass and energy balance, product netback, site layout, permitting path and compliance interface.
Pilot
A containerized unit on your gas stream to prove conversion, uptime and product quality.
Deploy
Commercial modules under the ownership model that suits you, with O&M support.
FAQ
Landfill methane regulations: common questions
When do Canada's Landfill Methane Regulations take effect?
Methane control requirements begin on January 1, 2028 for portions of landfills generating 1,000 tonnes or more of methane a year that already have an active landfill gas recovery system. Other portions of those landfills follow from January 1, 2029 or later, and open landfills generating 664 to 1,000 tonnes a year from January 1, 2035 or later. The annual methane generation assessment is due by June 1 each year.
Which landfills are covered?
Landfills that received municipal solid waste after January 1, 2010 and hold more than 450,000 tonnes of it, and landfills that take in more than 20,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste in 2025 or any later year and hold more than 200,000 tonnes. Landfills that only ever received hazardous, inert, forest products or construction and demolition waste are excluded.
Can we use the gas instead of flaring it?
Yes. Section 8 allows recovered landfill gas to go to a flare, an energy recovery device, a treatment system that processes it for sale or use, or any other device with at least 98% methane destruction efficiency. A treatment system must send methane-containing process emissions and any unsold gas to a flare or thermal oxidizer.
What happens to our landfill gas offset credits?
Once a landfill is regulated, landfill methane recovery and destruction no longer qualifies for federal offset credits. The Government of Canada expects most regulated landfills to become ineligible from January 1, 2029 and the rest from January 1, 2035, so product revenue matters more.
How many landfills will be affected?
The Government's analysis estimates 147 landfills will incur compliance costs: about 85 starting in 2028, 37 in 2029 and 25 in 2035. It puts the total present-value cost at about $808 million from 2026 to 2040, for about 100 Mt CO₂e of reductions.
What does CMR produce from landfill gas?
The landfill demonstration targets C5+ synthetic liquid hydrocarbons. The platform can also be configured for renewable natural gas, hydrogen or methanol, depending on site economics.
What information do you need to screen our site?
Your latest methane generation estimate, landfill gas composition (methane, CO₂, oxygen, H₂S and siloxanes), recovered gas flow, current gas handling, and site layout and utilities.
Talk to us
Book a landfill gas assessment
Tell us about your site. We'll come back with an initial view of your compliance timeline and the value your landfill gas could create.
- Email: info@mcalpha.com
- Phone: +1 403 969 9062
- Office: Suite 205, 279 Midpark Way SE, Calgary, AB T2X 1M2
Sources
- Government of Canada, Landfill Methane Regulations, SOR/2025-279, Canada Gazette, Part II, Vol. 159, No. 27, December 31, 2025, including the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement.
- McAlpha Inc., CMR platform pilot records and Edmonton demonstration design basis.