Harris County, Texas, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday seeking the closure of a Waste Management landfill operated through subsidiary USA Waste, alleging violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act tied to methane emissions.

The county argues USA Waste has failed to keep methane emissions at safe levels at the site. The suit names WM and calls for two remedies: closure of the landfill and full remediation of the property, including its groundwater.

What does the complaint allege?

The case rests on the federal RCRA statute, the primary law governing solid and hazardous waste disposal in the United States. Landfill methane is a regulated emissions stream; operators must control it through collection and destruction systems rather than allow uncontrolled venting to atmosphere.

Harris County's core claim is that USA Waste, the WM subsidiary linked to the site, has not kept methane at safe levels. The county filed the action in federal court on Tuesday, which sets the litigation clock on a public operator and one of the largest waste companies in North America.

What remedy does the county seek?

The requested relief is unusually aggressive for a landfill enforcement action. The county does not seek fines alone. It asks the court to order:

• Closure of the landfill.
• Remediation of the site by WM.
• Remediation extending to the site's groundwater.

Groundwater remediation, in particular, signals the county treats the alleged methane problem as part of a broader environmental condition at the facility rather than an isolated air emissions issue.

Why does this matter for the waste sector?

Landfill methane has moved to the center of regulatory pressure on the disposal industry. Operators face tightening federal rules on emissions monitoring and collection system performance, and litigation from state and local governments adds a second enforcement track beyond agency action.

A court-ordered closure, if granted, would be a rare outcome for a major MSW landfill and would test how far RCRA claims can reach when a county, rather than a regulator, drives the case. WM has not publicly conceded the county's claims, and the company's response in filings will shape the timeline.

What happens next?

The litigation now sits in federal court. WM's answer to the complaint, and any motion to dismiss, will determine whether the case proceeds toward discovery on the methane and groundwater records. The milestone to track is the court's first ruling on the pleadings, which will decide whether Harris County can pursue closure and remediation as remedies at all.