Liberia - Feasibility assessment for landfill gas capture and utilization at two landfills in Monrovia

Rationale

Liberia is seeking technical assistance to improve solid waste management and address methane emissions from its two principal landfill sites: the Whein Town landfill and the Cheesemanburg landfill. These sites present both environmental challenges and opportunities for methane mitigation and energy recovery. Currently, detailed technical information on landfill operations, historical waste disposal, stormwater management, and leachate control is limited.

Without comprehensive assessments, Liberia lacks the necessary baseline data to evaluate the potential for landfill gas (LFG) capture and utilization. This limits the ability of national and municipal authorities to implement strategies that reduce methane emissions, improve landfill operations, and harness potential energy sources.

By undertaking detailed technical and utilization assessments of the Whein Town and Cheesemanburg sites, this project will strengthen the capacity of Liberia’s public solid waste management entities. It will also provide critical information for decision-making on LFG recovery, use, and long-term mitigation planning, thereby contributing to the country’s climate and development goals.

Objectives

• To provide technical assistance to the Government of Liberia for assessing the potential recovery of landfill gas from the Whein Town and Cheesemanburg landfills.
• To conduct comprehensive assessments of landfill operations, stormwater and leachate management, waste disposal sequences, compaction, and waste quantities at both sites.
• To generate reliable data that enables the government to evaluate options for methane capture, utilization, and emission reduction.
• To strengthen national and municipal capacity for LFG recovery and contribute to the mitigation of methane emissions from Liberia’s existing and new landfills.

Activities

To achieve these objectives, the project will:

• Assess the current waste disposal site, Whein Town landfill, including its technical aspects (operations, stormwater, leachate) and historical disposal sequence and quantities.
• Assess the new disposal site, Cheesemanburg landfill, including its technical and management specifications (waste disposal sequence, compaction, stormwater management) and expected waste quantities.
• Evaluate the potential for LFG recovery at both sites, supported by technical modeling and estimation of gas yields.
• Conduct a utilization assessment to determine potential uses of captured landfill gas, considering estimated recovery volumes and local conditions.
• Prepare an executive summary consolidating main results and policy recommendations for the Government of Liberia.
• Build engagement across relevant government stakeholders, validated through interim progress and meeting reports, to ensure ownership and capacity strengthening.

Project Reference: [LR-22-002t] Feasibility assessment for landfill gas capture and utilization at two landfills in Monrovia