Landfill gas is produced in landfills by the decomposition of organic materials. The primary components of LFG are methane (50%) and carbon dioxide (48%). This gas is a product of the decomposition of organic materials in the landfill. Landfill gas is a threat to human health and global warming. Energy projects do reduce reduce these impacts, but landfill gas is not truly renewable – although it can produce energy which will reduce the need to burn fossiliferous fuels.

Landfill gas is a hazard if methane reaches levels high enough to cause an explosion or a fire. If you suspect that landfill gas is in your home, ventilate your home and basement with fresh air to decrease the level of methane.

It is the anaerobic decomposition of organic wastes that produces landfill gas. It is produced when microorganisms in a landfill break down biodegradable waste, such as food waste and paper. In its composition, landfill gas varies with the characteristics of the waste, age of a landfill, weather conditions, and other factors. The gas is a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, and it is the methane content within it that makes it a prized fuel source.

Landfill gas (LFG) can be a relatively inexpensive resource, especially if local environmental regulations require the gas to be extracted and flared anyway. that can help lower the cost of green power when combined with solar and wind energy. As each developed nation switch to green power gets under way, electricity from landfill gas will be expected provide the largest proportion of its green power after wind and hydropower.

Another way to create electricity from rubbish is to utilize landfill gas. All airless compressed solid waste creates methane gas which can be trapped, piped to a small plant and burnt to turn a turbine or internal combustion engine and create electricity. Thankfully, landfill gas is a low-pollution fuel with respect to emissions of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons and volatile organic emissions. In fact, it has been claimed that LFG nitrogen oxide emissions are generally about 70 percent lower than those of natural gas combustion due to the low flame temperature that results from the burning of landfill gas.

LFG is fired in the plant's boilers producing superheated steam. The superheated steam is used to drive the steam turbine/generator to generate electric power. Landfill gas is collected, or "extracted" from landfills by drilling "wells" into the landfills, and collecting the gases through pipes. Once the landfill gas is processed, it can be combined with natural gas to fuel conventional combustion turbines or used very efficiently to fuel small combustion or combined cycle turbines. In fact, LFG users are one of the top users of renewable energy in the manufacturing sector in North America.

Now, we would just like to say here that there is a misconception that a landfill gas filling station is a landfill gas hydrogen filling station. This is not true there is no such thing as a landfill gas hydrogen filling station. Landfill gas comprises methane and not hydrogen.

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