Improving understanding of carbon storage in wood in landfills: Evidence from reactor studies.

Approximately 1.5 million tonnes (Mt) of wood waste are disposed of in Australian landfills annually. Recent studies have suggested that anaerobic decay levels of wood in landfills are low, although knowledge of the decay of individual wood species is limited.

Carbon dynamics of paper, engineered wood products and bamboo in landfills: evidence from reactor studies.

Background: There has been growing interest in the development of waste-specific decay factors for estimation of greenhouse gas emissions from landfills in national greenhouse gas inventories. Although engineered wood products (EWPs) and paper represent a substantial component of the solid waste stream, there is limited information available on their carbon dynamics in landfills. The objective of this study was to determine the extent of carbon loss for EWPs and paper products commonly used in Australia.

The decay of engineered wood products and paper excavated from landfills in Australia.

Large volumes of engineered wood products (EWPs) and paper are routinely placed in landfills in Australia, where they are assumed to decay. However, the extent of decay for EWPs is not well-known. This study reports carbon loss from EWPs and paper buried in landfills in Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns in Australia, located in temperate, subtropical and tropical climates, respectively.