Standards for air emissions from municipal solid waste landfills.
40 C.F.R. § 60.752
in effect(a) Each owner or operator of an MSW landfill having a design capacity less than 2.5 million megagrams by mass or 2.5 million cubic meters by volume shall submit an initial design capacity report to the Administrator as provided in § 60.757(a). The landfill may calculate design capacity in either megagrams or cubic meters for comparison with the exemption values. Any density conversions shall be documented and submitted with the report. Submittal of the initial design capacity report shall fulfill the requirements of this subpart except as provided for in paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(2) of this section.
(1) The owner or operator shall submit to the Administrator an amended design capacity report, as provided for in § 60.757(a)(3).
(2) When an increase in the maximum design capacity of a landfill exempted from the provisions of §§ 60.752(b) through 60.759 of this subpart on the basis of the design capacity exemption in paragraph (a) of this section results in a revised maximum design capacity equal to or greater than 2.5 million megagrams and 2.5 million cubic meters, the owner or operator shall comply with the provision of paragraph (b) of this section.
(b) Each owner or operator of an MSW landfill having a design capacity equal to or greater than 2.5 million megagrams and 2.5 million cubic meters, shall either comply with paragraph (b)(2) of this section or calculate an NMOC emission rate for the landfill using the procedures specified in § 60.754. The NMOC emission rate shall be recalculated annually, except as provided in § 60.757(b)(1)(ii) of this subpart. The owner or operator of an MSW landfill subject to this subpart with a design capacity greater than or equal to 2.5 million megagrams and 2.5 million cubic meters is subject to part 70 or 71 permitting requirements.
(1) If the calculated NMOC emission rate is less than 50 megagrams per year, the owner or operator shall:
(i) Submit an annual emission report to the Administrator, except as provided for in § 60.757(b)(1)(ii); and
(ii) Recalculate the NMOC emission rate annually using the procedures specified in § 60.754(a)(1) until such time as the calculated NMOC emission rate is equal to or greater than 50 megagrams per year, or the landfill is closed.
(A) If the NMOC emission rate, upon recalculation required in paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section, is equal to or greater than 50 megagrams per year, the owner or operator shall install a collection and control system in compliance with paragraph (b)(2) of this section.
(B) If the landfill is permanently closed, a closure notification shall be submitted to the Administrator as provided for in § 60.757(d).
(2) If the calculated NMOC emission rate is equal to or greater than 50 megagrams per year, the owner or operator shall:
(i) Submit a collection and control system design plan prepared by a professional engineer to the Administrator within 1 year:
(A) The collection and control system as described in the plan shall meet the design requirements of paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section.
(B) The collection and control system design plan shall include any alternatives to the operational standards, test methods, procedures, compliance measures, monitoring, recordkeeping or reporting provisions of §§ 60.753 through 60.758 proposed by the owner or operator.
(C) The collection and control system design plan shall either conform with specifications for active collection systems in § 60.759 or include a demonstration to the Administrator's satisfaction of the sufficiency of the alternative provisions to § 60.759.
(D) The Administrator shall review the information submitted under paragraphs (b)(2)(i) (A),(B) and (C) of this section and either approve it, disapprove it, or request that additional information be submitted. Because of the many site-specific factors involved with landfill gas system design, alternative systems may be necessary. A wide variety of system designs are possible, such as vertical wells, combination horizontal and vertical collection systems, or horizontal trenches only, leachate collection components, and passive systems.
(ii) Install a collection and control system that captures the gas generated within the landfill as required by paragraphs (b)(2)(ii)(A) or (B) and (b)(2)(iii) of this section within 30 months after the first annual report in which the emission rate equals or exceeds 50 megagrams per year, unless Tier 2 or Tier 3 sampling demonstrates that the emission rate is less than 50 megagrams per year, as specified in § 60.757(c)(1) or (2).
(A) An active collection system shall:
(1) Be designed to handle the maximum expected gas flow rate from the entire area of the landfill that warrants control over the intended use period of the gas control or treatment system equipment;
(2) Collect gas from each area, cell, or group of cells in the landfill in which the initial solid waste has been placed for a period of:
(i) 5 years or more if active; or
(ii) 2 years or more if closed or at final grade.
(3) Collect gas at a sufficient extraction rate;
(4) Be designed to minimize off-site migration of subsurface gas.
(B) A passive collection system shall:
(1) Comply with the provisions specified in paragraphs (b)(2)(ii)(A)(1), (2), and (2)(ii)(A)(4) of this section.
(2) Be installed with liners on the bottom and all sides in all areas in which gas is to be collected. The liners shall be installed as required under § 258.40.
(iii) Route all the collected gas to a control system that complies with the requirements in either paragraph (b)(2)(iii) (A), (B) or (C) of this section.
(A) An open flare designed and operated in accordance with § 60.18 except as noted in § 60.754(e);
(B) A control system designed and operated to reduce NMOC by 98 weight-percent, or, when an enclosed combustion device is used for control, to either reduce NMOC by 98 weight percent or reduce the outlet NMOC concentration to less than 20 parts per million by volume, dry basis as hexane at 3 percent oxygen. The reduction efficiency or parts per million by volume shall be established by an initial performance test to be completed no later than 180 days after the initial startup of the approved control system using the test methods specified in § 60.754(d).
(1) If a boiler or process heater is used as the control device, the landfill gas stream shall be introduced into the flame zone.
(2) The control device shall be operated within the parameter ranges established during the initial or most recent performance test. The operating parameters to be monitored are specified in § 60.756;
(C) Route the collected gas to a treatment system that processes the collected gas for subsequent sale or use. All emissions from any atmospheric vent from the gas treatment system shall be subject to the requirements of paragraph (b)(2)(iii) (A) or (B) of this section.
(iv) Operate the collection and control device installed to comply with this subpart in accordance with the provisions of §§ 60.753, 60.755 and 60.756.
(v) The collection and control system may be capped or removed provided that all the conditions of paragraphs (b)(2)(v) (A), (B), and (C) of this section are met:
(A) The landfill shall be a closed landfill as defined in § 60.751 of this subpart. A closure report shall be submitted to the Administrator as provided in § 60.757(d);
(B) The collection and control system shall have been in operation a minimum of 15 years; and
(C) Following the procedures specified in § 60.754(b) of this subpart, the calculated NMOC gas produced by the landfill shall be less than 50 megagrams per year on three successive test dates. The test dates shall be no less than 90 days apart, and no more than 180 days apart.
(c) For purposes of obtaining an operating permit under title V of the Act, the owner or operator of a MSW landfill subject to this subpart with a design capacity less than 2.5 million megagrams or 2.5 million cubic meters is not subject to the requirement to obtain an operating permit for the landfill under part 70 or 71 of this chapter, unless the landfill is otherwise subject to either part 70 or 71. For purposes of submitting a timely application for an operating permit under part 70 or 71, the owner or operator of a MSW landfill subject to this subpart with a design capacity greater than or equal to 2.5 million megagrams and 2.5 million cubic meters, and not otherwise subject to either part 70 or 71, becomes subject to the requirements of §§ 70.5(a)(1)(i) or 71.5(a)(1)(i) of this chapter, regardless of when the design capacity report is actually submitted, no later than:
(1) June 10, 1996 for MSW landfills that commenced construction, modification, or reconstruction on or after May 30, 1991 but before March 12, 1996;
(2) Ninety days after the date of commenced construction, modification, or reconstruction for MSW landfills that commence construction, modification, or reconstruction on or after March 12, 1996.
(d) When a MSW landfill subject to this subpart is closed, the owner or operator is no longer subject to the requirement to maintain an operating permit under part 70 or 71 of this chapter for the landfill if the landfill is not otherwise subject to the requirements of either part 70 or 71 and if either of the following conditions are met:
(1) The landfill was never subject to the requirement for a control system under paragraph (b)(2) of this section; or
(2) The owner or operator meets the conditions for control system removal specified in paragraph (b)(2)(v) of this section.
Source: ecfr_bulkFetched: 7/26/2026
Source: eCFR APIURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-40.xml?part=60Fetched: 5/31/2026