How to Prepare for Increased Landfill Regulations Enforcement.
- rreale5
- Jul 21
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 8
Why Now Is the Right Time to Act—Before the Pressure Mounts
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Mon, Sep 15 from 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM EDT
Across North America, regulatory pressure is increasing on landfills to tighten their surface emissions monitoring practices. Whether it’s the proposed ECCC regulations in Canada, or new state-level rules rolling out in Oregon and Colorado, one thing is clear: surface methane emissions are under greater scrutiny than ever before.
The increasing shift from federal to local enforcement often results in stricter regulations within these localities. Landfills are being cited for air quality violations—many of which stem from insufficient surface emissions monitoring or failure to meet NSPS (New Source Performance Standards) Subpart XXX or Cf requirements. Some sites are even being placed under consent orders, which bring added oversight and reporting requirements.
The Cost of Noncompliance: What’s at Stake?
Failing to meet regulatory expectations can result in serious consequences.
Landfill operators risk:
Civil penalties of up to $109,024 per day per violation under the Clean Air Act
Mandatory corrective action plans that can significantly disrupt operations
Consent orders or settlement agreements that require additional monitoring, reporting, and third-party oversight
Long-term damage to an organization’s reputation and relationship with regulators
With fines easily reaching into the hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of dollars, investing in proactive landfill surface emissions monitoring is not just smart, it’s financially prudent.
Get Ahead with a SnifferDRONE™ Landfill Emissions Study
Rather than waiting for an inspection—or
worse, an enforcement action—landfill operators can take control by conducting a SnifferDRONE Landfill Emissions Study.
The SnifferDRONE delivers:
Detection of methane from 1 ppm up to 100% concentration
Accurate location data with GPS-tagged emissions points
Full site scans with consistent, repeatable flight paths
Detailed reports for compliance documentation and repair prioritization.
This high-resolution data allows operators to fix leaks quickly and efficiently—often before regulators ever set foot on-site.
Ideal for Landfills Under Consent Orders
If your facility is already under a consent order, you know the expectations: frequent monitoring and robust documentation from an independent resource.
The SnifferDRONE methodology is tailor-made for these situations:
Consistent flight patterns ensure that data from one study can be directly compared to another—making it easy to track the impact of repairs and changes over time
Its ability to pinpoint gas migration pathways and leak locations within the landfill makes it easier to identify root causes and prevent repeat violations
The SnifferDRONE's repeatability and precision offer a clear line of evidence that remediation efforts are working—critical for satisfying consent order requirements and rebuilding regulatory trust
If your facility is facing a consent order, don't wait. Early preparation will reduce headaches, and potentially costly fines, in the future.
Prepare Now—Before the Weather Turns or the Rules Tighten
Fall and winter bring challenging conditions for surface emissions work. Conducting a study now—while weather allows for accurate data capture—can give you time to act before inspections or mandates occur.
Plus, if your operation has “use-it-or-lose-it” environmental or capital funds, now is the perfect time to apply them to something both strategic and compliance-driven.
The Bottom Line
With increased oversight from state and federal agencies, and new surface monitoring rules on the horizon, landfill operators need to take proactive steps to avoid fines, consent orders, and operational disruption.
The SnifferDRONE gives you a precise, efficient, and regulator-trusted tool for identifying, quantifying, and resolving surface methane issues—before they become regulatory liabilities.
Don’t wait for a violation notice. Contact Sniffer Robotics today to schedule a surface emissions study and prepare your landfill for what’s coming next.
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