Waste Management Carbon Credit Market Size - By Type, Analysis & Growth Forecast, 2025 - 2034

Waste Management Carbon Credit Market Size

The global waste management carbon credit market was valued at USD 12.7 billion in 2024 and is estimated to reach the value of USD 52.9 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 15.9% from 2025 to 2034. The market is a financial system in which businesses receive tradable carbon credits for lowering, capturing, or redirecting greenhouse gas emissions through waste management. It capitalizes on avoided emissions through landfill methane capture, waste-to-energy, recycling, and composting.
 

Governments across the globe are making environmental regulations tighter, imposing stricter pollution limits and compelling businesses to recycle or reuse more waste rather than dumping it. In California, a bill named SB 1383 compels landfills to reduce food and garden waste by 40% by 2030 and to prevent large fines, many now employ systems that capture methane and convert it into carbon credits. Furthermore, airlines subject to stringent global pollution caps under accords including CORSIA, purchase these credits to neutralize their emissions at low cost.
 

Economic incentives are inspiring innovative solutions particularly in projects that convert garbage into useful resources, such initiatives not only minimize waste in landfills but also generate additional revenue streams for companies and communities. For instance, Germany's BioEnergy Lauchhammer factory, which processes 200,000 tons of food waste annually to generate sufficient power for 4,000 homes while making USD 3.2 million every year from carbon credits, this model aids car part makers facing strict Euro 7 pollution rules who buy these credits instead of spending millions to upgrade factories.
 

Increasing corporate sustainability targets compel companies to find carbon offsets solutions so that they can meet their objectives for greenhouse gas emissions reductions. By investing in certified carbon offset projects, businesses can effectively cancel out their carbon footprint and contribute to international efforts to mitigate climate change. For instance, a Brazilian recycler has teamed up with a soft drink giant to convert 10,000 tons of plastic rubbish into certified credits worth USD 25 each, which the company utilizes to offset emissions associated with its suppliers and packaging.
 

Waste Management Carbon Credit Market Trends

Rising integration in modern technologies including blockchain and IoT have transformed waste-related carbon credits tracking and trade, ensuring transparency and trust. These technologies allow for real-time monitoring of carbon offset projects, providing more accurate data and reducing the risk of fraud in the carbon credit market. This shift toward tech-driven verification is expected to grow down the line, as companies demand fraud-proof credits to avoid greenwashing risks.
 

Innovators are targeting previously ignored waste categories, including textiles and construction debris to create niche credit markets, these emerging markets are expanding the opportunities for businesses to offset their carbon footprint and contribute to environmental sustainability. By incentivizing the reduction of waste in these sectors, innovative solutions are driving progress towards a more circular economy. A Dutch startup, Black Bear Carbon, converts discarded tires into carbon offset industrial materials, generating 2 credits per ton of processed rubber, which is then sold to automaker companies at USD 80 per credit to offset tire production emissions.
 

Technological advancements including anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, and better landfilling management technologies are increasing efficiency while decreasing emissions. These technologies will be eligible for carbon credits, which in turn will create incentives for R&D investment. Furthermore, the market including waste management credits is on the rise throughout the world owing to rising efforts by agencies including the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) to standardize provide credibility, transparency, which in turn stimulates more participants into the market and thus to the overall market dynamics in the world.
 

Waste Management Carbon Credit Market Analysis

• The global market for waste management carbon credit was valued at USD 10.8 billion, USD 11.7 billion and USD 12.7 billion in 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively. Tough government regulations and policies aimed at carbon emissions have spurred a growing market for carbon credits, transforming the environmental management landscape and the economic incentives around the world. With increasing worries over climate change, governments and entities look for ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions effectively, and the population of carbon credits has grown as the major mechanism for delivering emission cutback targets.
   
• The waste management carbon credit market has also given companies the chance to invest in green practices and technologies, fostering innovation and new sources of revenue. Moreover, the growing demand for carbon credits has encouraged companies to implement greener practices to achieve their targets for reducing emissions.
   
• Increasing collaboration between waste management companies, technology providers, and financial institutions is increasing which in turn is propelling the industry growth. Partnerships will facilitate project financing, technology deployment, and aggregation of carbon credits, making projects more viable. This collaboration is essential in addressing the challenges of climate change and transitioning towards a more sustainable future. By working together, these stakeholders can leverage their expertise and resources to accelerate the adoption of green technologies and practices.
   
  
   
• Based on type, the market is segmented as voluntary and compliance, where the compliance waste management carbon credit industry witnessed a market share of over 99% in the year 2024 owing to prevailing stricter enviornmental & waste recovery policies across the globe.
   
• Compliance markets are state mechanisms that compel businesses to reduce their carbon footprint through legislation. If a company pollutes above a predetermined limit, it will need to purchase carbon credits to offset the additional emissions or pay a penalty. The credits usually derive from emission-reducing projects, including methane capture at landfills. For instance, in the EU's Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), French landfills have to pay USD 107 per ton if they emit methane into the atmosphere.
   
• Voluntary markets allow businesses to purchase carbon credits on a discretionary basis, not on a mandatory basis as under regulation. This provides an opportunity for businesses to balance out their carbon footprint and finance initiatives to increase sustainability and decrease greenhouse emissions worldwide. For instance, an international coffee company can enter into a collaboration with a startup in Kenya to convert 5,000 tons of coffee husk into biofuels, earning credits to balance out emissions from its shipping fleet.
   

• The North America waste management carbon credit market was valued at USD 1.3 billion, USD 1.4 billion, and USD 1.5 billion in 2022, 2023, & 2024 respectively. Demand for waste management comes from rigorous emission controls and business ESG efforts. This trend should persist as additional governments and firms commit to lowering greenhouse gas emissions. For instance, California's SB 1383 bill requires a 75% decrease in organic waste disposal by the year 2025, prompting landfills including those run by republic services to adopt methane-to-energy systems.
   
• The Europe waste management carbon credit market is shaped by the EU's landfill bans and Emissions Trading System (ETS), which penalize untreated waste and give priority to waste-to-energy projects. Strict carbon pricing incentivizes biogas plants and advanced recycling, leading to a shift towards more sustainable waste management practices in the region. In Germany, the EEW Energy from Waste facility processes 5 million tons of municipal waste yearly, converting it into electricity and carbon credits purchased by automakers including BMW to comply with EU emission limits for factories.
   
• Rapid urbanization and increasingly stringent climate policies fuel waste-derived credits demand in the Asia Pacific region and as a result, the region will witness a CAGR of over 20% by 2034. Waste-derived credits are getting more valuable with companies trying to reduce their carbon footprint and abide by regulations. For instance, India's Swachh Bharat Mission finances composting facilities in cities such as Pune, where 500 tons of daily food waste earn credits which are then sold to Tata Steel at USD 12 per ton under the Gold Standard.
   
• The Middle East & Africa waste management carbon credit market is expanding due to oil-dependent economies diversifying towards circular waste management solutions and global ESG alliances. This shift towards a sustainable economy is also bringing international firms looking to leverage the increasing market opportunity in the region. Saudi Arabia's NEOM megacity for instance, collaborated with Veolia to construct zero-landfill waste centres, transforming organic waste into biogas credits to be sold to Aramco to offset oil drilling emissions.
   
• Latin America waste management carbon credit market relies on voluntary markets and natural biomass potential with waste projects linked to international supply chains. They contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable development in the region. Environmental conservation efforts in the region are driving more investment in renewable energy projects. Brazil's Methanum captures methane from Sao Paulo landfills, producing credits that are verified by Verra and purchased by Nestlé to offset emissions from shipping coffee.
   

Waste Management Carbon Credit Market Share  

The top 5 companies, Veolia, Waste Management, Inc., South Pole, and Climate Impact Partners accounting 35 % for a share of the overall global market. These companies enhance their reputation and marketability by demonstrating commitment to reducing carbon emissions through waste management practices.
 

Veolia, a global environmental services giant, turns landfill gas into carbon credits by way of projects and collaboration with NEOM in Saudi Arabia. In NEOM's zero-waste cities, Veolia captures methane from organic waste and converts it into clean energy, earning credits sold to oil majors such as Aramco to offset drilling emissions.
 

South Pole is one of the pioneer waste-to-credit initiative entity in the overall carbon credit industry. In Brazil, it collaborated with Amcor to convert 15,000 tons of recycled plastic into plastic credits, each cancelling out 1 ton of CO2. These credits, enable brands including Nestle and PepsiCo to greenwash-proof their packaging claims.
 

Waste Management Carbon Credit Market Companies

• Waste Management, Inc. converts landfill methane into carbon credits in the form of projects such as its Tully Landfill Gas-to-Energy Plant. In California, Altamont Landfill owned by the company turns gas into renewable natural gas (RNG) for heavy-duty trucks and receives credits at USD 50 per ton under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard. These projects are a combination of compliance and profitability that benefit automakers such as Ford by enabling them to offset factory emissions while building the company's credit portfolio.
   
• Climate Impact Partners delivers solutions for carbon mitigation across the globe. Recently, the company along with a UK food waste-based company has taken a project with Tesco retail stores, by taking 100,000 tons of unsold groceries from landfill each year to reduce emission, this initiative reduces methane emissions and generates Gold Standard-approved credits purchased by Unilever to offset Scope 3 emissions.
   
• Suez finds its niche in Europe's compliance markets by turning industrial and municipal waste into carbon credits tied to energy. In Rotterdam, its waste-to-energy facility burns 1.5 million tons of non-recyclable waste a year, powering 150,000 households while producing EU ETS-compliant credits sold to chemical giants such as Dow Chemical.
   

Some of the key players operating across the waste management carbon credit industry are:

• 3Degrees
• ALLCOT
• Atmosfair
• CarbonClear
• Climate Impact Partners
• ClimeCo LLC.
• EcoAct
• Ecosecurities
• Green Mountain Energy Company
• PwC
• South Pole
• Sterling Planet Inc.
• Suez
• TerraPass
• The Carbon Collective Company
• The Carbon Trust
• Veolia
• Waste Management, Inc.
   

Waste Management Carbon Credit Industry News

• In September 2023, Veolia expanded its carbon credit portfolio by acquiring U.S.-based startup GreenGas, specializing in AI-based methane detection at landfills. The acquisition fits the U.S. EPA's new tightened methane rules under the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides tax credits for reducing emissions. GreenGas technology, already implemented in Texas landfills, increases Veolia's capacity to monetize methane capture, with credits sold to airlines such as Southwest under CORSIA compliance.
   
• In November 2023, South Pole partnered with India's Swachh Bharat Mission to implement a blockchain-maintained plastic credit system. The initiative funds 200 municipal waste collection sites in Mumbai and Delhi, converting 50,000 tons per year of plastic to credits sold for USD 15 per ton. Customers including Unilever and PepsiCo purchase them to achieve India's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, connecting compliance to global ESG targets.
   
• In January 2024, The EU's CSRD, mandates disclosure of detailed carbon credit use in annual reports, including offsets derived from waste. Companies need to check whether credits meet EU Taxonomy standards, such as the capture of landfill methane or plastic recycling. Disclosures that fail to comply with the requirements risk up to USD 535,000 fines, forcing waste operators to embrace blockchain technologies such as ClimateTrade for auditing in real-time.
   

This waste management carbon credit market research report includes an in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecast in terms of revenue in ‘USD Billion’ from 2021 to 2034, for the following segments:

Click here to Buy Section of this Report

Market, By Type

• Voluntary
• Compliance

The above information has been provided for the following region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Middle East & Africa
• Latin America