The Value of Garbage Has Changed Dramatically

Michael J. Coren reports: “For at least a decade, investors poured money into technologies to turn garbage into electricity by burning it. That proved profitable enough. But in the last five years, the economics have changed.”

Investors are convinced, according to Coren, “that waste streams, if efficiently processed, could unlock a profitable new source of materials. Wang says the emerging vision for waste management is using software, analytics, and robotics to better catalogue and process trash at the source in homes and businesses. Companies can stream this data to processors who efficiently acquire, refine, and resell the materials back into the supply chain.”

Coren provides additional details about the shifting flows of capital, as waste management goes from energy production to recycling.