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Environmental Technologies
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Waste Management and Recycling

Municipal Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, Recycling, and Resource Recovery Overview

Solid waste management encompasses the collection, treatment, transportation, and process of solid waste which covers recycling, resource recovery, soil pollution prevention and remediation technologies, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) destruction technologies. Municipal solid waste is subject to a high degree of regulatory burden due to the public policy considerations related to waste management. The technologies needed by this sector depend on the composition and properties of the waste generated. The market size for the U.S. solid waste and recycling industry was estimated to be around $342 million in 2023 and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 5.2% from 2024 - 2030. In 2023, there were over $6.7 billion in solid waste management technology exports. 

Key Market Trends and Themes for the Global Waste Management and Recycling Industry

In recent years, solid waste management has headed towards the use of sustainable materials management (SMM) which is a systems-wide approach that meets the needs of society while simultaneously reducing materials use, waste generation, and negative environmental and economic impacts. Materials and resources (including land, energy, and water) are used and reused effectively and efficiently throughout their life cycles (including extraction, processing, design, manufacturing, production, use, reuse, end-of-life management and all transportation). Historically, societies have viewed the life cycle of a product as linear, e.g. from production, to use, to disposal. SMM is an alternative approach that emphasizes a circular economy and the productive use and reuse of materials throughout their lifecycle. The goal is to minimize the number of materials involved and all associated environmental impacts and waste generation. SMM can also help industries decrease costs associated with the purchase of typically expensive virgin materials, as well as enhance efficiency and reduce materials losses during production.

Another trend is the increasing quantity of e-waste, which is driving market growth for solid waste management. According to the 2024 UN Global E-waste Monitor, the U.S. threw away almost 7 million tons of electronic waste, and while that number is expected to grow, how it is managed will be critical. E-waste can present challenges since many components of what is thrown away require specialized separation and sorting. Also, with the increased use of critical mineral metals utilized in electronics, recovery of those components will be vital to bolster the U.S. supply chain. 

PFAS destruction technologies represent an important emerging technology in the field of solid waste management. PFAS are not only present in the water but also in the soil. Remediation technologies that can filter PFAS chemicals from soil and solid waste will continue to expand in method and application. Although PFAS destruction is a relatively new field, the global market size is estimated to be around $2 billion in size. 

Conversion Technologies

Solid waste conversion technologies also include gasification, plasma arc gasification, anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, and thermal depolymerization. These technologies differ from traditional waste incineration processes because they do not involve combustion. Instead, they typically use thermal degradation or electric current to convert the solid waste to liquid fuels, syngas, biogas, heat, electricity and/or chemical products, depending on the inputs and the process. Most of these conversion technologies are proven for homogenous waste streams and are operating commercially in several locations outside of the United States. There is limited data on their effectiveness for mixed waste or municipal solid waste feedstocks, particularly on a larger scale. Market opportunities for conversion technologies are likely to expand with the increase of waste generated by the growing global population. According to the Global Energy Council’s 2016 Waste-to-Energy report, in 2024 the global waste-to-energy market (including both traditional incineration as well as conversion technologies) was valued at $37.89 billion.