Solid waste debate: To burn or bury?

Why are many companies still asking themselves to burn or bury solid waste, even considering the need for raw materials?

It seems terrible only that people are still thinking about these 2 solutions.

But it’s happening nowadays.

There are waste companies and local governments still thinking of using waste as something to burn or, worst, to bury.

The recent shortages didn’t teach them anything?

Probably, not.

But the responsibility is also yours.

Indeed, as a waste company owner, it also starts with you sharing the importance of recovering the most significant part of raw materials from waste.

Not only because it’s a great opportunity to add a revenue stream to your company, but in this period it’s more than helpful due to the recent inflation and war problems. But because the shortages that happened in the previous 2021 and the beginning of 2022 created problems even for our industry, creating long delays in the delivery of equipment, tools, and trucks.

Let me translate what I’m saying into numbers.

Indeed consider that a person produces every single day 0.74 kg of waste (average value from World Bank), and in that amount, the composition is this:

– 44% plastic;

– 17% paper and cardboard;

– 12% food and green;

– 4% metal;

– 5% glass;

– 2% wood;

– 2% rubber and leather;

– 14% other.

Only by watching these percentages can you easily understand the number of raw materials you can recover and transform into secondary raw materials.

Let me do some maths.

If you collect waste from a community with 3,000 people, you should collect approximately 2,2 tons daily. It means that inside, you’ll find:

– 976.8 kg of Plastic;

– 377.4 kg of Paper and cardboard;

– 266.4 kg of Food and green;

– 88.8 kg of Metal;

– 111 kg of Glass;

– 44.4 kg of Wood;

– 44.4 kg of Rubber and Leather;

– 310.8 kg of Others.

Are you still convinced to burn or bury the waste you collected?

I’m sure that you are starting to think differently.

But to complete the square, let me tell you what the average prices for these secondary raw materials in the market are:

– Plastic: between? $ 1,100.00 and $ 2,000.00 per ton (it depends on the type of material);

– Paper and Cardboard: between $ 50.00 and $ 150.00 per ton (it depends on the type);

– Metal: between $ 700.00 and $ 5,000.00 per ton (it depends on the material).

I can go ahead with several lines, but it’s not in the scope of this newsletter.

As a waste owner, you should think about waste differently, and to do that, you should start collecting them and avoiding using them as fuel for waste to energy systems or burying it.

You should save tons and tons of raw materials that are useful for thousands of productions.

Be The Change!

Act Now.

Sam Barrili

#wastemanagement #businessstrategy #rawmaterials