Landfill Costs Are Tipping the Scale Toward Composting

While composting and anaerobic digestion infrastructure has been ramping up and converting more food waste into valuable soil amendments and energy, we’ve got a long way to go to alleviate the environmental and economic costs of food waste disposal. Based on data from 351 landfills across the US, this report from the Environmental Research and Education Foundation details average tipping fees by region. The 2024 report shows a 10% average annual increase — the largest year-over-year rise since 2022.

Food waste that is sent to landfills creates a burdensome economic cost to municipalities and consumers. Food waste being landfilled is also a primary source of greenhouse gas emissions, because landfills are anaerobic environments which results in massive emissions of methane gas. Aerobic composting systems, such as aerated static pile composting, turned aerated pile composting and In-Vessel composting, results in virtually zero methane emissions.

The cost of landfill tipping fees does NOT include the cost or emission required to transport waste to the landfill. In 2024 the average cost of sending food waste to a landfill was above $60 per ton. Meanwhile, the market value of compost per ton is between $40 to $100 depending on the compost type and market. We can spend $60 per ton to dispose of this material, or we can convert our food waste to compost and sell it for more than that.

Is that a difficult decision to make?

There are very few economic “no brainers” in this world. Composting food waste is on top of the no-brainer list.
Below are the 2024 average state by state costs per ton for Mixed municipal Solid Waste (MSW):

State and Regional Average Tip Fees, from October 2024:

National Average $62.28 (± 35.98)

Pacific $72.88 (± 42.55)

Alaska $124.25 (± 93.02)
Arizona $50.10 (± 13.75)
California* $83.76 (± 38.64)
Hawaii* N.R.d
Idaho $38.21 (± 15.82)
Nevada $61.14 (± 22.43)
Oregon* $65.98 (± 26.24)
Washington* $47.70 (± 3.56)

Northeast $80.67 (± 29.28)

Connecticut* N.A.c
Delaware N.R.
Maine* $110.91 (± 8.78)
Maryland* $84.14 (± 22.30)
Massachusetts* N.R.
New Hampshire* $110.46 (± 44.77)
New Jersey* $79.12 (± 22.58)
New York* $83.67 (± 25.43)
Pennsylvania* $85.45 (± 22.26)
Rhode Island N.R.
Vermont N.R.
Virginia* $63.72 (± 30.71)
West Virginia* $45.92 (± 3.01)

Mountains/Plains $56.61 (± 30.13)

Colorado $52.58 (± 21.59)
Montana $42.59 (± 16.86)
North Dakota $49.00 (± 4.90)
South Dakota $47.00 (± 9.46)
Utah $35.30 (± 10.86)
Wyoming $85.95 (± 38.70)

Midwest $66.09 (± 45.01)

Illinois $93.07 (± 35.98)
Indiana* $43.56 (± 21.07)
Iowa* $49.73 (± 14.14)
Kansas $34.78 (± 17.30)
Michigan* $77.93 (± 19.28)
Minnesota* $77.39 (± 51.20)
Missouri $136.65 (± 139.28)
Nebraska $34.34 (± 9.41)
Ohio $61.80 (± 29.60)
Wisconsin* $85.64 (± 18.50)
Southeast $50.12 (± 22.88)
Alabama $38.78 (± 16.92)
Florida* $53.47 (± 23.04)
Georgia $55.76 (± 25.99)
Kentucky $50.11 (± 24.82)
Mississippi $31.90 (± 21.92)
North Carolina $39.71 (± 5.35)
South Carolina $56.20 (± 24.95)
Tennessee $62.24 (± 28.26)
South Central $44.87 (± 22.05)
Arkansas $52.50 (± 39.54)
Louisiana $39.39 (± 16.26)
New Mexico $47.44 (± 7.45)
Oklahoma* $46.48 (± 22.08)
Texas $42.56 (± 20.19)